My Little Sister Can't STILL Be This Cute
by Mach Jentra
Summary: Based on the anime series and ending. What is life for the Kousaka Siblings now after the fated promised they made? Will they hold up to it or will their feelings take control of the mouse? There's only one chance in this eroge called "real life" and there's no Save/Load Option.
1. The Hereafter (Kyousuke)

**A/N: Oh man, where do I begin? Well I'm new to the whole fanfiction scene. I read a lot of books but never really written before. Something about this anime/novel just really made me want to get into it though, mostly because of the ending. I know a lot of people were upset with the ending and I was too at first, but after really thinking about it, if you ignore the "incest theme" it had going, I would say the ending was proper. Even though Kyousuke and Kirino didn't get together (although I'm hearing that it's implied that their relationship is still going), they were able to repair their sibling relationship, and to me that's one hell of an accomplishment. From going 3 years with barely any interaction, living in the same house to where they are now is no easy feat. Still, I can't imagine those two being just "normal siblings" as we all know, you can't just shut off your feelings like that. So with that said here's my continuation of the story of what life is now like for the Kousaka Siblings and company. There will be romance, there will be drama, there will be hurt, and maybe a bit of comedy if I'm any good at it. Please comment, rate, and review. Although I've based this on the anime, I've also read the light novel to have a better understanding of the characters, so if anything seems out of character let me know. I appreciate any and all suggestions. Thank you for your time and interest in reading my fanfic and I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

**Kyousuke:**

My name is Kyousuke Kousaka. I'm 19 years of age and live in the Chiba Prefecture of Tokyo, Japan. This may be difficult for some to believe but I'm a pretty average person: I have short, black hair that reaches down to the nape of my neck, a slim build, dark-colored eyes and usually sport simple, casual clothes. Nothing special really. My life, however, is anything but normal, it's a roller coaster ride from hell and I'm prepared to run to the back of the line for some more.

You see, about 5 years ago, I've entered a cold war with my little sister, Kirino Kousaka, who by now is 16 years of age. When we were younger, we used to get along great, in fact it could be said we were inseparable, but somewhere along the line we began growing apart at an alarming rate and I ended up losing what it took to be a proper big brother to Kirino. During our 3 year cold war we rarely spoke and never did anything together. It got to the point where I started to see her as a stranger and not my little sister anymore since for the most part, she pretended like I didn't even exist. In short, we hated each other. During that time, we've pretty much went about our own lives, neither of us involving the other. While I wanted to live a "peaceful and normal" life without any worry or care in the world, my sister became the overachieving, multi-talented person she is today: She's a part-time model, has one of the top grades in the prefecture, a role model for her school, a track and field athlete and a best-selling novelist. She is also incredibly beautiful with long hair dyed a light brown from her original dark brown, ocean blue eyes, flawless white skin and a body no girl her age should even be allowed to have. She is everything I'm not and I admit at the time, I was jealous and felt insecure around her and saw myself as useless in the eyes of my parents. My father made that clear all too well and I'll always know that I'll be second in his eyes, especially since he adores Kirino. Back then I couldn't even remember the last time my dad gave me even an ounce of praise.

However 3 years later, I stumbled upon a secret my little sister has harbored that would change both our lives forever; She's an avid otaku with a taste of little sister eroge. This is a secret, which apparently if anyone were to find out about, would be the equivalent to a volcano erupting in the middle of Japan. Thanks to the media, otakus are mostly shunned by the public, especially by middle-high school girls. It was a secret she couldn't tell anyone about, not even my parents, but when I found out about it, while I admit I was surprised, I didn't judge her or make fun of her at all. She's my little sister, and despite detesting each other I still wouldn't do anything to hurt or make her cry. When she saw this, she made me into her confidant in the form of "life counseling" and we began to repair our broken relationship using our "life counseling sessions" as a bridge for 2 good years: I helped her find 2 great friends for her to share her hobby with, I played her eroge for her to have someone to talk and share her interest with, took dad's rage (and a fist to the face) so she could keep her hobby when he found out about it, helped reconcile her friendship with her best friend while inheriting her wrath and being label a perverted sis-con, practically belittled myself in front of a whole production team to protect her novel that was being turned into an anime from being butchered into something Kirino didn't want, and the list goes on. It's weird that I would go the distance for my little sister despite the how she treated me and seemed somewhat ungrateful most of the times, but in the end, when I saw my little sister's cute side, it made it all worth it. As such, we were able to repair our broken relationship and I was able to re-establish my role as an older brother to Kirino.

Happy end right? Well...yes and no...depending on how you see it: During those 2 years of reconciliation, a new bond was beginning to form between Kirino and myself...something beyond a brother-sister relationship, something stronger, something that neither of us could have predict would ever happen: We fell in love with each other. No joke, I'm in love with my little sister and she with me. I know what you're thinking, the eroge she made me play corrupted us both right? Well at first I was starting to think that, but after careful and long consideration on my part, I can safely say it wasn't the case. Granted it may have turned me into somewhat of a pervert, god knows I unwillingly have the evidence to support it, it had no sway in my feelings for my little sister. Before Kirino re-entered my life, I was a husk. I had no drive to succeed or make a mark on the world. Nothing to run forward to. All I would do is wake up, go to school, come back home, occasionally go to Manami's place, eat, then go to bed. Rinse and repeat. When Kirino came along and pretty much pulled me out of my routine, I admit I've haven't felt this happy in a long time. My life is full of joy, there's always something new each day and I have her to thank for that. I've always admired how she takes passion in what she loves, whether its video games, anime, eroge, modeling, friends, you name it. Her passion for it is something to be reckoned with and I just love seeing the smile on her face when she indulges in it all.

For Kirino, well...if I remember correctly, during one of our lovers ceremony she finally showed me the contents of that cardboard box she had hidden away and it held something even more precious than her eroge. It was pictures of me before our cold war, when our relationship was good. She had took them from the family album and placed them all here because, in her own words:

"They're pictures of my beloved Onii-chan."

I was completely shocked. Never have I thought I'd hear those words from my little sister. She was just too cute. We then listened to an old I-pod made from when she was little as a sort of message from her past self to her current. It revealed some tidbits about why she started to like Imouto eroge in the first place and her true feelings towards me: My little sister has loved me ever since we were kids. It was a secret she couldn't tell anyone, not even myself, a secret she had held in her heart for all these years and still had them even during our cold war. If I had to put 2 and 2 together, the eroge was a surrogate for this. I've been out of her life for 3 years and she developed a complex because of it, a fact she would never have told me the first time I found out about her hobby. I couldn't help but fall more in love with my sister on that day.

A little before that on Christmas eve, I confessed to my sister and she accepted. I was happy, ecstatic, I thought I could take on the world, however after the adrenaline hype, we both came crashing down to reality with this one simple fact: Siblings can't marry. Granted I knew that already, but still...heat of the moment right? I wanted more than anything to tell my sister about my feelings. So after some talk and eroge playing, my sister tells me she has already thought of a solution: Between then and graduation day, we would become limited time lovers and openly express it except towards our parents. We would fully enjoy ourselves, after that we go back to normal siblings. I accepted, but deep down while I didn't show it, I was a little heart-broken. I knew it was for the sake of not only our lives but for everyone who loves and know us, but will this really make us happy? I guess it was for the best, there's no happy end to these kinds of relationships and it would only lead to struggle. The Funny thing is...I kinda didn't care, I mean, this is our happiness we should be thinking about. I knew if we had gone this route there would be many trials and complications to deal with, but as long as I was with the one I loved, I felt like could take on anything and everything. In the end though, I accepted because it seemed like she was really happy, and my sister's happiness is my happiness. I would do anything for her, sacrifice anything for her, and go anywhere with her. Those are my true feelings. So if I must sacrifice this relationship for her, then I will. No matter what though, I will always love her, and I'm sure she feels the same.

But hey, it's not like everything's a total lost right? If anything I've repaired my broken relationship with my sister that I thought would be impossible to do at that point in time, and to me that's the greatest consolation prize I could ask for. Kirino has also lightened up a lot towards me although she still has her sharp-tongue and tsundere tendencies sometimes, but hey I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a kick out of it. We're a lot more closer now and spend time with each other like mad. We're a rare breed of siblings that don't grow apart over time. We're both a part of each other's lives and I couldn't be more happy...I guess.

* * *

It's been a couple of months after the offline meeting of "Otaku Girls United", and everything is going fine. She wakes me up in the morning sometimes, brings me along to go shopping together (though I'm almost sure it's just to carry her stuff), play games together, converse almost every day, and...uhm...sometimes I would give her small pecks on the cheek as a form of "sibling affection". I guess it was my fault to begin with since I used that as my 1 wish when I won a bet against her, but after that it became almost like a standard for me. I swear it was pure sibling affection and no ulterior motive behind it! ...Ok, maybe a little. It was like having the Kirino I had always dreamed about during our cold war, back when she still had her original hair color.

After graduation, I was able to get a job in the mornings as a store clerk for a family owned bakery shop in down town Chiba. It's not bad, the pay is good, and for the most part I just keep the store clean and watched over while the family does the baking. It's mostly quiet and they don't mind if I break out a magazine now and then.

As I speak, I'm now on my last hour of my shift. I've just finished sweeping the floor and now assisting the store owner, Mr. Sakamoto in setting the freshly made baked goods on the store shelves. Mr. Sakamoto appears to be in his late or early 40s and is a rotund man with a long, gray-brownish beard, completely bald on his head, and wears bifocals. He looks like he could be some sort of school teacher or something but his personality is very warm and loud though. He loves to joke around and play practical jokes on his family. I've never seen a serious moment come from this guy, he's like the polar opposite of my dad. The bake goods look absolutely mouth-watering. This bakery is known for making not only Japanese confectionery, but also stuff outside the normal. For example, today they've made an oatmeal raisin cookie dough cake with cinnamon sprinkled on top, a double sized blueberry muffin with a cream cheese filling in the middle, and finally, my personal favorite today, a strawberry and granola danish with vanilla icing. They're all 100% hand-made by Mrs. Sakamoto and their daughter. Mrs. Sakamoto's age is a little around her husband's but I swear you could never tell. She aged very good, with long violet-pink hair, rosy cheeks and red lips. It's hard to tell if she wears make up or not. Her figure is a bit on the thick side, but she got curves that would make any guy make a double take. And then there's their daughter Ayane Sakamoto , who looks almost identical to her mother but of course much younger looking and slimmer. Her hair is slightly longer and brighter giving off a fuchsia shade and her body is amazing, about nearly the level of Saori's but not as...erhm..."busty". I swear I'm gonna lose my job one day just from staring at her.

"Gwah ha ha ha! What's the matter, Kyousuke? You have more red on your face than this cake here. Ya wanna taste that badly huh? Huh?!" Oh I want some cake alright, but not the kind of cake you're thinking...god I'm going to be out of a job soon I know it! Focus, Kyousuke!

"Aahh...no no Mr. Sakamoto, I had a big breakfast today, although these bake goods are amazing looking. My mother would die to try these."

"Gwah ha! Yes yes they're quite something aren't they? My wife and daughter are absolute prodigies when it comes to baking. It almost feels like I'm taking advantage of them! But...gotta pay the bills eh? Eh?!"

*Thwack*

And right at that moment, Mrs. Sakamoto shows up and gives a good left hook to the back of Mr. Sakamoto's head. She must have overheard him from the kitchen. The guy should really try toning his voice down.

"What was that about taking advantage, Anata?"

"Ow wow wow! I'm just kidding, honey! Geez can't a man pride his darling wife and daughter for practically living off their talent? GAH!" Oooh, and there's a right hook. That had to hurt...

"Living off us huh? In that case, we'll have to talk more about splitting the profits to the real "breadwinners", don't you think so, Anata?"

"Gwah ha-oof! Good one, honey! Breadwinners! Get it?! Because we're bakers?! God you're one in a million, honey."

"I'm glad you think so. Ah Kyousuke, shouldn't you be heading off now?"

"Ah yes, Mrs. Sakamoto but I don't mind staying a bit longer and helping out. It's nice seeing what you guys made before I leave out."

"Ah you're such a sweetheart, Kyousuke." She says with a bright smile.

"It's really nice having you here around the shop. Not too many boys your age mature enough to work here." Ahhh, that flatters me a bit. I'm not really used to compliments so that really made my day to hear.

"Yes, yes indeed he is! You know, before you got here, I've rejected a ton of applicants around your age because they gave off such a lousy vibe, most of them were blatant troublemakers or just plain lazy looking. But when I saw you Kyousuke, I knew you were something special. The look you had in your eyes told me that you've seen some things in your life and you're full of ambition! Maturity at its youngest! I'm proud to have you working with us! Hell I might even give you my daughter's hand in marriage! Gwah ha ha ha!" I nearly choke on my breath hearing that last bit. Just then I hear some pots and pans dropping on the floor in the kitchen area. Our attention focuses on the point of origin to see Ayane walking out with a flustered look on her face and fresh dough covering her apron.

"Father! Can you be any more embarrassing? Hmph! Don't listen to him, Kyousuke. You should know by now my dad likes to joke around."

"Huh? Who said I was joking? I was being serious!"

"Ah...uhm...well...errr" I couldn't help but stutter like an idiot while trying to regain my composure. I don't know if I should be flattered or stick my head in the ground like an ostrich.

"Uhm, well now look at the time! I should get going. Mom probably has lunch waiting for me."

"Have a great day, Kyousuke. We'll see you tomorrow morning!" Says Ayane as she and her family waves good-bye. I wave back and proceed to walk home. Man that was beyond awkward but in some weird way, it made me feel a bit happy. If the old man was being serious, that would be the first time I've ever been offered someone's daughter. Mom would have a field day with the rumor mill in our neighborhood. Though, of course, I would have most likely rejected. Don't get me wrong, their daughter is absolutely gorgeous and I'd be considered a fool to not accept, but my feelings would not allow me to do so...because in the end...my heart still belongs to one person...

* * *

About a half hour later I reach the front of my house. Mom should have lunch ready for me. She's been treating me really awesome ever since Kirino and I have gotten along after all those years of not speaking to each other. In fact she seems a lot happier because of it; Her breakfasts are huge in comparison to the last 2 years and she's always making me a huge sandwich after I come home from work. Kirino and her have also been interacting with each other a lot more, talking about their day among other girl stuff. It makes me smile seeing them that way. Kirino used to be a bit distant towards our parents due to her hectic schedule and whatnot, barely speaking a word during dining times unless she's spoken to, but now she seems to speak on her own accord and strikes up a conversation with mom almost on a daily basis. It really makes me happy seeing this huge change in her character. She's still the hot-tempered, capricious and cocky Kirino we all know and love but she has definitely soften up some.

I've decided since graduation that I won't attend a university until next year. I need time to think about what university I want to apply to and what I want to major in. That whole time in high school I was so wrapped up in trying to be "normal" I didn't really think about the future. I've wasted so much time and before I knew it, I'm about to graduate. Thankfully in the beginning, even though my grades weren't perfect for the most part, they weren't bad either, and towards my third year, around the time I've started to grow more close to Kirino, my grades improved dramatically. If not completely dominating that mock entrance exam during the time I was separated from Kirino wasn't proof enough I don't know what is. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what my motivation was.

Speaking of which though, while of course I never said this to anyone, the main reason I decided not to attend university this year was because I wanted to try to spend more time with Kirino. I feel that, even though we've come a long way together, we still have a lot of time to make up for. 3 years is a long damn time of not speaking to each other, and I feel I'll never be able to make up for that time we've lost, but I can try, and I won't lose a single second more if I can help it.

Dad was fine with the decision as long as I got a job of some sort. I was fine with that, as I wanted to save up money for tuition anyways. Dad even said he'd help pay half of it once I decided what I want to do as long as I kept myself hired and continued to look after Kirino.

"I'm home." I give my usual greeting. I take a look around and see mom in the living room reading a magazine.

"Ahh, welcome home, honey! Your lunch is on the table. Dig in."

I look towards the kitchen and notice a plate with my lunch beaming on top of it. She made me a triple-decker sandwich with 3 kinds of meat: Ham, turkey and chicken with the usual condiments of lettuce, tomato and a special tangy sauce that mom makes herself for me. My mouth is practically watering plants right now. God how I look forward to coming home from work!

"Thanks mom!" I say with a goofy looking smile as she notices the drool running down my face and giggles lightly.

"Hehehe you're welcome Kyousuke. Remember when I used to make these for you when you were a kid? You had quite the appetite back then. Glad to see that hasn't changed."

I smile back and make my way into the kitchen, sitting down in front of my godly looking sandwich fit only for a king. I dug right in, taking a huge first bite that nearly fills my entire mouth, enough to make me practically gasp for air. Heh, when did I ever turn into such a pig? While eating I look at the magazine mom was reading and notice Kirino on the front cover. Ahh, she must be reading the latest magazine from her company. Since like a year ago, Kirino's popularity has grown quite a lot to the point where she's now featured on the front cover of most of her latest magazines.

"Is Kirino home mom?" I ask nonchalantly.

"Hmm, nope. She said she was going out shopping today after getting her paycheck. I imagine she'll be home before dinner. Speaking of which, hun, what would you like for dinner tonight?" Eh? This again? She always ask me this knowing that she'll completely disregard my opinion. Besides, all she knows how to cook is curry anyways...

"Oh come on, mom. You know you can only make curry."

"Hehehe, then I'll have quite the surprise for you tonight, Kyousuke. Your mother has learned some new tricks."

"Heh, looking forward to it. Just don't hurt yourself, mom." I say back jokingly. I hear her chuckling lightly and goes back to her magazine. I've really came a long way. Back then before I found out about Kirino's hobby, I could never get into the mood to joke around with my mom like this. She would always try to cheer me up, even to the point of making fun of my porn hoard she "conveniently" found under my bed. I knew she meant well, mom is a very sweet woman and loves us dearly, but at the time, I just couldn't get into the mood to really interact much with my family in a positive way...if at all. I guess it's just another sign of how miserable I really was back then before Kirino came back into my life. I don't know if she really knows how grateful I am to her.

"Thanks for the food, mom. Well I'm going to go to the library for a while. Maybe I can get an idea of what I want to major in for college next year."

"Alright hun, make sure you're back for dinner. Have fun."

With a satisfied belch, much to my amusement, and a pat on my stomach, I get up from the table and head back out the house and go walk down the street to the nearby library. On my way there my thoughts strayed towards my sister, wondering what she's up to. Probably out shopping in either Shibuya or Akiba for some eroge. Mom and dad have become a little more accepting of Kirino's hobby lately, well...mom more so than dad. He still feels her hobby is a useless one but won't say it out loud. He's still under the impression that I'm the owner of the eroge he found 2 years back, but lately I've gotten vibes that he actually knows who it really belongs to. Call it a hunch, but I'm well-known for being a "bad liar", and if I know dad, being a cop and all, he can spot a lie from a mile away. Kirino and I were never able to get away with lying to him when we were kids. So either it was an absolute miracle that he didn't catch onto my lie the night I said I owned the eroge or he's playing dumb for our sake. His trust in me has grown a lot since then and I feel like I've gained a lost respect from him. If he ever knew the truth of what happened between Kirino and myself, I don't know what he would do...probably kill me or disown me. Ugh...I'd rather not think about it.

* * *

I arrive at the library and make my way down the many aisles. Man, I wonder if I'll ever figure out what I want to do with my life. Hmm, maybe Business Management? Nah, although Kanako says I'm a great manager, it's not really my thing. Maybe...Computer technology...probably not, I've only just gotten into computers like 2 years ago and I still don't know a lot about them. If I did I wouldn't have gotten busted by Kirino for checking out porn sites. Oh god that's going to scar her forever. Bah, still nothing. I'm such a space case. If Manami was still around, she'd probably help me out since we were suppose to go to university together at some point. I wonder what she wants to be?

"K-Kyou-chan?" And speak of the devil...Manami calls out to me from behind my back. I ended up dropping the books I was reading out of surprise. I never expected Manami to be here...

"Manami?! W-what are you doing here?"

"I'm just purchasing some books for university, and you?"

"Ah...well I'm trying to decide what I want to major in for next year when I go to university. I figured some book reading would help me." I say as I fumble to pick up the book I've dropped.

"Ah...I see...Kyou-chan is still as useless as ever without me around. Hehe."

"Hey hey, I can take care of myself grandma. I think I've proved that during the mock exam!" I say a little jokingly with a bit of hostility laced into it. I'm not sure how to act towards her now, but I'm glad we still have some semblance of our old friendship. Her personality seems the same for the most part, but her appearance now is another story. Her hair looks a little longer now, reaching to her shoulders. Is that a bit of make up she's wearing? Yea it is. I think she has some eyeliner on, and that's definitely lipstick I see. How odd, Manami was never one to wear make-up before. I wonder why the sudden change? Also...wait...

"Manami? Where's your glasses? Did you lose them again?"

"No, grandpa. I got fitted for contacts a couple of weeks ago. What do you think? I look better without them?"

"You look...pretty good without them actually." I say with a half-hearted chuckle. In all seriousness though, she doesn't look half-bad without them. In fact I'd say she looks better without them. Granted this isn't the first time I've seen her without glasses, but that's usually rare and only when we had sleep-overs. Overall though, she looks like a completely different person. The grandma aura she usually has around is all but gone. Amazing how much she's changed in a couple of months.

"I see. I'm glad then." She smiles and I smile back a little, all the while the atmosphere around us goes super awkward and I feel a bit tense right now. Not sure why, I've never felt this way around Manami before. Maybe it's because of what happened about a month ago with Kirino and myself. God why does it feel so uncomfortable now?! After awhile of us both staring at the ground, Manami finally breaks the silence with a question I was hoping she would not ask:

"So...how are you and Kirino doing?" Damn, knew this was coming and I know where it's going to go.

"We're fine..." Quick answer I know, but I rather avoid this situation right from the get-go. Hopefully she's take the hint and ends the subject. Of course, that would be wishful thinking, as now she looks slightly upset.

"Ah I see...I figured you both would have grown up after a couple of months and listened to my warning. I guess you both haven't accepted the reality of your disgusting relationship yet." *Sigh* She just had to use the word "disgusting". I'm now slightly irked.

"Actually...we've already agreed to break it off way before you even confronted us about it. We didn't need your input on it. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves a little without society butting into our lives." I say with a bit of anger in my voice.

"I see...that's good then. I guess you can still make good decisions, Kyou."

Ok, now I'm a little pissed off. Even though she says that with her typical smile that may pass off as innocent to those who don't know better, Manami is one hell of the passive-aggressive type. I've seen it first hand when I brought Manami home for lunch, and Kirino was being "herself" and tried putting down Manami in every way she could despite Manami just taking it all in stride, seemingly un-phased by Kirino's immaturity. I didn't notice it at first, but when Kirino left in a huff I knew it had to be Manami's plan all along to "kill her with kindness" or at least piss her off to the point of submission. She can be damn scary at times but this time around though, it only serves to provoke me.

"You know Manami..." I pause before putting the book I had in my hand back on the shelf and look her square in the eyes.

"There's something I've been wanting to ask you...ever since that day in the park."

"Sure, what is it, Kyou?"

"Why didn't you tell me about what you said to Kirino those few years ago?" I found out a little more information from Kirino a while after the park incident about what Manami said to her those 3 years back when Kirino was an elementary schooler. She said how Manami went on about how it was weird for her to love her brother and how it made her feel like a freak. It explained a lot, mostly why Kirino hated Manami so much...and maybe even me.

"Because I felt like you didn't need to know."

"Didn't need to know? Or rather you knew I wouldn't have approved of it." Who does she think she is? Isn't she suppose to be my best friend? Why keep something like that from me? I thought we could share anything...

"It needed to be done, Kyou. I saw how your little sister felt about you, for a long time. I felt that...you probably wouldn't have done what I did because you wouldn't have had the heart for it, that you adored Kirino too much to possibly hurt her feelings. So I guess, I did it for you."

"I didn't need you to that for me, Manami. I'm her older brother. She was my responsibility. You were too harsh in enforcing that reality on her at that age."

"And yet even with my stepping in, you both still went down this path."

"Maybe...but that "talk" might have been responsible for Kirino and I's falling out. Have you considered how it made her feel or how it affected her? Or me for that matter?" I can only imagine how it must have eaten at her everyday knowing that her feelings for me were deemed wrong and how she could never tell me, her big brother of them with the fear of being rejected. I wonder...how I would have reacted back then if I knew...but now's not the time to think about that.

"...It wasn't my intention to destroy your relationship with Kirino. I just wanted to...separate you two a little. Besides...I didn't make you spend all that time with me, Kyou. You would tell me for a while how Kirino and yourself had stopped talking and how you two didn't get along anymore, but have you done anything about it? Have you approached Kirino and tried to resolve it as a "big brother" should? If I'm responsible for breaking your bond with Kirino, you're just as guilty as well."

Damn...she hit me right at home. She's right. During the start of our cold war, I never really attempted to find out what was up with Kirino and her sudden change towards me. For awhile I thought it was just her going into her rebellious phase. I figured she'd grow out of it eventually. But as the days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, the rift between us gotten bigger and bigger and I still did nothing about it. As an older brother, it should have been my absolute duty to make sure we never reached a point where both of us pretty much ignored each other's existence...why didn't I?

"Maybe...I guess you're right. I'm not trying to place blame on you for what happened between Kirino and I, in fact I blame myself 100% because I should have prevented it, but I'm still not happy with what you said to her. Had I known that..."

"You probably would have never spoken to me again..." I stopped for a moment and studied her expression, she looks genuinely sad, eyes looking towards the ground with her shoulders drooping slightly. Maybe she was afraid of how I would have reacted if I known the truth back then. Silly girl...didn't she know me better back then?

"No...I still would have been friends with you...I just would have been really upset. Kirino was...is very precious to me." Yet I left her alone all those years and never attempted to reconcile with her...why? I can only imagine how things would be between us if I hadn't found that DVD case. I should be ashamed that I let karma do the work for me.

"I know Kyou. I know she is. You've made that perfectly obvious...even back then." Wow, I gotta say, It feels weird having an argument with my closest friend. In fact, aside from the incident in the park, this is the first time I've ever argued with Manami, something I never thought would be possible...

"Anyways, I'm glad I got to see and talk to you one last time before I go."

"Huh? Last time? Where are you going? Vacation?"

"No. I'm attending a university outside the Chiba Prefecture. That's why I'm buying books so that I'll have all I need."

"Y-you're leaving Chiba? I thought you would be attending the same university as I am?"

"Yes...that was...before...everything went down hill...Now I just want to focus on me and my future and no one else." Ouch. I guess I understand how she feels. Manami has always been the one taking care of me and my problems but I've never seen her cater to herself, really. I've always wondered what made her happy...it couldn't had been all me...right?

"I-I see. Well then tell me what university you're going to? Maybe I can visit you sometime." Manami just walks up to and gives me a smile while patting my shoulder lightly.

"You're sweet, Kyou-chan...as usual...but sorry. This is good-bye for a while. Maybe I'll come visit you when I visit my family. Take care of yourself, Kyou...and I'm sorry...for everything." Manami then turns to walk away but I grab her shoulder to stop her. There's something I need to say to her before she leaves...something that's going to be really hard for her to hear.

"Hey, Manami?" She looks at me with a bit of worry and confusion in her eyes.

"Thank you...for not telling my parents about Kirino and I." To my surprise, she just smiles at me which now brings confusion to my face.

"No need to thank me Kyou...I was bluffing for the most part..." She turns to walk away from me again, but not before commenting:

"I love you too much to watch you destroy yourself."

I could only stare at her with my mouth agape. Ahhh, I'm starting to remember when she confessed to me in the park. I had no idea she had feelings for me all these years now. I always felt Manami and I had a special sort of bond where we saw each other as family and not in a romantic way. For her to harbor those feelings for me all this time and never tell me? Maybe she already knew I never felt the same. With that in mind, all I could do was watch my once great childhood friend leave out of my life for god knows how long. I should be sad...which I am, a little...but not as much as I should be. For some reason it's just easy to let her go. When Kirino left for America a year ago, I was going crazy without her despite our relationship still in the thawing process. We came a good ways at that point but nowhere near to what it is now. But here I am, watching my childhood friend of 10 years who's been with me through thick and thin leave, and I'm not even trying to stop her...Is it because I'm still a bit sore about her actions those years ago...or it is something entirely different? What made me miss Kirino so much after she left for America that I went over there and dragged her back to japan...yet I've done nothing of the sort during our cold war? Why wasn't I there for her then, but here for her now?

What was my drive back then?

* * *

**Manami:**

Empty. That's how I felt the moment I turned my back towards the person who meant so much to me in my life. My first and only love. Ever since I first met Kyou-chan I instantly fell in love with him. How passionate he was with what he enjoyed, his out-going attitude in the world, and his willingness to help those in need no matter what. I knew I could never have him in his current state back then. I was just a normal, shy, introverted girl with barely any friends, I never stood out in any way. But Kyou-chan was something special, and way out of my league, but he still befriended me, and never judged me for who I was. I knew then and there I loved him, and wanted to make him mine...but...there was an..."obstacle" I had to overcome first.

I'm sure Kyou-chan has never noticed it, but his little sister, Kirino, for as long as I can remember had always had a strange affection for her big brother, fueled even further by Kyou-chan's achievements and abilities. She admired him, as I did as well, and for a while, I thought it was harmless. Just a younger sibling who admired an older one. I'm not sure. I have a younger sibling as well, Rock, but he has never admired nor looked up to me the way Kirino has for Kyou-chan. I was never really close to him, not that we didn't get along, but we never really bonded much. Perhaps due to us not knowing our real parents, and having live with our grandparents had something to do with it. It has always bothered me...and perhaps that's why I've always withdrawn myself from not only Rock, but a lot of people, but since I was so young, I thought that maybe it was normal for family to not to be so close to each other and eventually move on in life. Perhaps that was why I felt it so strange that Kirino and Kyousuke had such a strong bond with each other...or maybe...that's what I wanted for myself? I really don't know the answer, but I do know I wanted Kyou-chan all to myself.

Over time, Kirino's behavior over her brother was becoming more and more belligerent. Every time Kyou invited her over to spend time with us, there was almost always a situation with her: She would throw tempers almost instantly when she saw us together, and she would follow him almost everywhere, making sure I wouldn't get too close to him. Kyou was confused of course, probably felt she was going into her rebellious phase, but I saw it...the look in her eyes, the way she looked at Kyou...was the same way I looked at him. I knew it. She was in love with him and it was with that realization I decided to act.

I already knew the reason Kyou-chan tried so hard at everything, why he was the way he was in his youth. It was all to impress his little sister. Kyou knew Kirino saw him as a superhero and he reveled in it. It was like his energy source, his motivation to do his best, it was his greatest strength...and unknown to him, his weakness. All I had to do was wait for the right moment.

When Kyou-chan came to me one evening worried about how Kirino was spending less time with him and doing things on her own like going to track meets and studying, I took that as my cue to act. I told him I knew why he worked so hard, and convinced him that he didn't need to impress his little sister by "trying" to be amazing, because in the end, you will always be normal no matter how she sees you. It was a moment of weakness that...while small, hit the bulls-eye. Kyou would spend more time with me, and less time at home, and with Kirino. I thought it was enough at first, but it had added results that I didn't foresee but nonetheless worked out in my favor. Kyou quit doing track and modelling for fairs and spent even more time with me. It had even gotten to a point where his grades would start slipping and I had to tutor him when he used to tutor me. It was quite odd but not at all a bad thing. It was like Kyou was slowly becoming mine. More and more I began to mold him into what I wanted him to be...what I felt was good enough for me.

I felt my mission was complete, until one day Kirino ran to my home and demanded I gave her back her brother. It seemed like she wasn't ready to part with her Onii-chan yet. Poor girl, doesn't she know it's normal for siblings to grow apart from each other? It was at that point that I had to do something drastic, what Kyou-chan wouldn't had done himself.

"Nope. The amazing Onii-chan you admired so much never existed in the first place."

It was a direct hit. Kirino froze on the spot and was left speechless, I knew right there it was the time to make the last blow, to reveal her secret that no one else knew.

"Don't you think it's weird to love your Onii-chan? I think so. It's disgusting, and people will agree."

The deed was done. Kirino was crushed by my seemingly cold words as she rushed home crying her eyes out. I wasn't too worried about it. I figured when she grew up more she'll realize I was right. For now, I just wanted to focus more on Kyou-chan.

Over the next 3 years, Kyou-chan and I spent an enormous amount of time together. He'd come over for sleep overs, eat dinner, and we studied together. During that time he would mention how his relationship with Kirino had gotten so bad that they don't even talk to each other anymore. I of course re-assured him it's fine and that in time Kirino will talk to him again. It's not like she will ignore him forever right? But maybe I was wrong, because I haven't seen Kirino again during those years and Kyou-chan appeared more and more detached. It was then I realized that their relationship had indeed gone bad.

I never intended on destroying their relationship, I just wanted to offer a "gap" in their closeness...a gap for me to fill in between. The results were more than what I desired but I had Kyou-chan all to myself and that was all I cared about. But even during those years together Kyou never returned the feelings I had for him. I mean I didn't exactly tell him how I felt because I was so scared of possibly being rejected, but I threw him so many hints and he just never responded. Over time, I knew he didn't feel the same way, but I was hopeless, I diluted myself into thinking one day he may return my feelings, and thus continued to be by Kyou's side.

The day I lost Kyou to her had destroyed me. My plan of 10 years had gone to waste. Kirino had stolen Kyou back from me somehow...and I didn't even have a chance to confess to him. When I finally did confess as a last-ditch effort to take Kyou-chan back, he rejected me. It felt like my whole perfect world was destroyed. I left in defeat, dragging my heels on the ground all the way home and just jumped into my bed, wailing my eyes out all night. It was the first time in a long time I've cried and it wasn't any easier. I've just been lying to myself all these years and the truth finally came smacking me in the face: Kyou never belonged to me to begin with. All I did was put chains on him that would eventually rust and break. Kirino helped Kyou break those chains and now he's free from my prison of unrequited love. I'll always be second in his eyes. It was with that confirmation I decided to go to university outside of Chiba and move on with my life. There's no reason for me to stay here anymore. I still love Kyou, I always will, but I know it's time to finally let him go. So as I walk out the library, resisting the urge to look back at him one last time, I wish my best friend of 10 years good-bye. I hope he will find true happiness in his life...regardless of who it's with. Even you too, Kirino-chan, I wish you the very best. You've won fair and square and I will no longer interfere, because even if you both decided not to date anymore, you and I both know better than anyone, you just can't turn off your feelings like a light switch, and I know it's eating at you right now as I speak. So to you, Kirino-chan, I wish you the very best of luck, and may Kami help you guide your heart.


	2. The Hereafter (Kirino)

**Kirino:**

My name is Kirino Kousaka. I am 16 years of age and a high school student living in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan. I am what people may call an extremely fortunate girl. I am extremely cute and multi-talented for my age: I'm a star athlete in track and field, have one of the top 5 grades in the district, a model for a popular magazine, and a best-selling author of a novel that was turned into an anime. With all this my life seems perfect. I have what any girl could ever want at my age, including great friends. What could I possibly want more, right? How about...love. A love that is deemed forbidden by the eyes of society. What kind of love could I possibly be referring to? Well, to sum it up: I'm in love with my older brother, Kyousuke Kousaka. An average guy really, kind of an idiot, his looks aren't bad but not great either and he really has nothing special about him. So, why would I fall in love with this guy? Surely I can get better, right? Let alone my brother of all people.

I've had a crush on my brother ever since we were kids, we used to have a good relationship and were considered inseparable, but due to a series of unfortunate events that involved a certain bespectacled girl, we entered a cold war that lasted for 3 years. It started when I was 11 and he was 14. We never spoke to each other, never did anything together and pretty much never acknowledging each other, not even as siblings, we were like strangers. During those 3 years I became the person I am today, but I also ended up developing a brother complex, something I hate to admit even to myself, using imouto eroge as a surrogate for it. I think that's when I officially became an otaku, and for those 3 years I had to hide it with no one, not even my brother to talk or share things about it. It was a lonely and empty 3 years.

Then one night Kyousuke found out about my hobby when he came upon my Meruru anime case holding one of my eroge inside. I was so horrified, thinking he would tell mom and dad or even try to blackmail me, but he did nothing of the sort. Instead he gave it back without question and even ensured me that no matter what kind of hobbies I have he would never make fun of me. Those words...sounded like something the old Kyousuke would say and made feelings of nostalgia and longing come knocking on my heart, as if to persuade me to release all those pent-up emotions I had for him right there and then. But I couldn't do that, I couldn't risk being hurt again, and I still hated that creep, so I did the next best thing and made him into my life consultant and involved him a little into my life.

During that time, he's done so much for me it's almost overwhelming. He's done things no other person in the world would have done for me, sacrificed so much, and got nothing in return, nor did he ask, all the while being just an average guy. After every life consultation we had together, little by little those emotions that were locked away started to leak through me to where I even started to show my appreciation for him by giving him gifts and showing a bit of a softer side of me. It all came to a head when he flew all the way to America where I was taking track coaching after he found out I was having a hard time. He came all the way for me, and even told me how lonely he was without me. I was so happy I thought I could fly. I think that was when I started to fall in love with him.

I knew that I had strong feelings for him after I found out he and Ruri Gokou, aka Kuroneko, my closest otaku friend had grown close since I've been gone. I felt angry...no, not angry...well yea I was angry I guess...but most of all, I was jealous. Jealous that my idiot brother was cherishing someone other than myself. I know I haven't been the nicest towards him...oh who am I joking, I was outright mean to the damn guy...but only because I didn't know how to open up to him while struggling with feelings I shouldn't have towards him, but the thought of having my brother taken away from me, just when we started talking to each other again, something that was in no way easy to do...that feeling...was all too familiar...Still, I decided not to act, after all, I had no right to interfere. That changed quickly though when Kuroneko forced me to reveal my true feelings (Or at least half of it) after she had dated and then broke up with my brother. I confessed...told him how I didn't want him to have a girlfriend, that I wanted to be the most important person to him. I couldn't believe I actually said those words, in front of all those people, let alone my brother, but when I did, I felt a huge weight lift right off my shoulders. He didn't hate me for it, he actually was moved by it. I was so relieved, so happy...I felt that maybe it won't be a bad thing to actually confess my true, true feelings for him...but not then. I had to make a plan, in the event that he might reject me.

It was during Christmas eve last year I decided I was going to confess my true feelings for him, no matter what. Even with the risk of him rejecting me and being disgusted with me, I was going to let him know. If he did reject me, it would have been ok, because I planned to go abroad again after graduation and I would probably never see him again for a long time. But then, something I could have never predicted happened: he confessed to me! I couldn't believe it, it was so sudden that all my emotions conflicted inside me and I was rambling on how siblings can't fall in love with each other and such, calling him gross over and over. I couldn't control myself, but when he told me not to leave Japan and to marry him, all my emotions settled into place, and my heart finally opened up to him completely. I accepted.

Of course though, siblings can't get married, but I did take into account what we would do next if he ever accepted my confession. With careful thinking, I told him we can be lovers for a limited time and enjoy ourselves to the fullest until graduation, then we would return to being normal siblings. He accepted and I was so happy. Truth is though, I didn't really want this, but at the time, what choice did we really have? Siblings can't get married and our relationship isn't exactly accepted or legal to the public, but that doesn't mean we should grow apart from each other, right? I want...to be with my Aniki forever...even as siblings. I've wanted that ever since I was a kid.

We've dated for a while and enjoyed ourselves a lot. I can't believe I actually had the greatest time of my life with that idiot. That guy who I've used to despise for many years, who would have ever thought? Many times have I wished he was just some other boy, not related to each other. Then the day of our graduation came, and we had to face the final boss, the plain girl herself, Manami. It was time for our rematch and this time, I won't be running home crying! After a few words here, a punch or two there, Manami uses her last attack on me; Reality. She already did this to me once, but even now, it still hurts, to know I can never be with this guy in the way I wanted to be.

I was again, about to concede, and tell her what we've planned to do. I didn't want to, it was none of her business, but I didn't want to risk her telling anyone in fear of it getting back to our parents. But then suddenly, Kyousuke jumped in and confronted Manami. I couldn't believe it, he was defending me, no...us, against his childhood friend of 10 years! The act made my body freeze into place with my heart pounding with every second that passed. I could practically feel the blood in my veins rushing through. Manami then threatened to tell our parents about us directly, and after a few pathetic attempts from my idiot brother to persuade her otherwise, he was finally backed into a corner. That was when I saw him again, my amazing brother from the past, re-emerging to protect me. He was willing to destroy himself just to be with me.

Manami saw this, and even after confessing her feelings for him, she finally backed off. Even though she thought our relationship was disgusting, not even she was willing to go far enough to push Kyousuke, knowing he would make good on that sacrifice. Defeated, Manami hit Kyousuke and just walked away. I think that was the day Kyousuke lost his friendship with her. It was all for me, he sacrificed so much for me, and he still had that stupid, outstanding smile on his face. Manami was wrong, my amazing Onii-chan did exist, maybe not in the way he used to be, but he never left.

After that, through some sort of connections I have no idea he even had, Kyousuke set up a mock wedding just for the two of us. No witnesses, no best man or bride's maid nor our parents, of course. Just us. It was kinda sad at first but...It was as if for that moment we didn't care about the world, and in fact, we were the only ones in the world...no, we were in our own little world...and I've never felt so happy in my entire life. This man, my brother, is the only one in the world who can make my heart beat a thousand times faster. When we kissed, I was in heaven, even if it was for that moment, I was in eternal bliss.

With the wedding done, I returned his ring and we went back to being normal siblings. We went home that night, told our parents we had gotten something to eat to celebrate our graduation and spent a bit of time together playing eroge. I wish...I could say that was it and we had lived happily ever after as siblings. I really do, but it's not always as simple as that because...

I've fallen even deeper in love with Kyousuke. After he confronted Manami, all my emotions, thoughts, and feelings went back into a full-on world war. When I saw what he was willing to do to protect me, I was completely overwhelmed. He would destroy his reputation for me and he would probably get dis-owned by our parents for me. There is no one in the whole world that would do what he has done for me and still have a smile on his face. Kyousuke...without even knowing it, has already become the hero in my eroges that would sacrifice anything and fight society just to be with me. But what about me? What am I willing to sacrifice? Would I do the same for him just to be together? All this time I've been nothing but selfish and all he did was give and never complained, and it just makes me wonder...

'Do I...really want to be just normal siblings?'

* * *

It's been about two months after the mock wedding, the feeling of his lips against mines and his arms wrapped so warmly around me still fresh in my mind...along with the guilt of having to end our relationship. It may have looked like I shrugged it off easily, especially to him, but honestly I wanted to cry right there, and it took all my will power not to. It was like a dream I never wanted to end, but of course my pride wouldn't let me show any weakness towards my older brother. I want to show him that side of me more often, he deserves that much, but I can't right now, not with these warring emotions floating in my head. It hasn't been all that bad though, if anything we grown a lot more closer now. After the offline meeting of "Otaku Girls United" Kyousuke and I have spent a lot more time together, both in and out of the house. We go shopping together (and force him to be my mule), visit Akihabara a lot more often and even go out to eat now and then. It reminds me so much of when I had him pretend to be my boyfriend a while back to keep me from going abroad again when Misaki from Eternal blue wanted to recruit me as their exclusive model. Granted, I could have said no anytime I wanted, even without Kyousuke being there, but I wanted any reason I could possibly find to spend time with him, and that was the perfect opportunity. Not only that, I wanted to experience him being my boyfriend, even for that one time, I just wanted to live my fantasy.

Back then, although I would have never admitted this to him, I was having the time of my life. I didn't have this much fun since the time he helped me with my novel. Though of course, again my pride and thick armor prevented me from showing it to him. I wanted to though, especially after what he said about me to Kanako and Bridget-chan in the café. I couldn't believe those words were coming out of his mouth. Who knew he could be so...sweet. I could tell from the look in his eyes that he meant every word, and it was almost too much for me to take in. That's when I made the dumb decision to put up my outer wall against him and we ended up arguing once we got home from our date. I berated him about being a poor boyfriend, knowing full well he didn't have a lot of experience to begin with, but neither did I. Who was I to talk? If anything I was being a terrible girlfriend! He ended up saying he never wanted to be my boyfriend again, and...well...things happened. It's funny, I wanted to push him away a bit, and I ended up getting more than what I bargained for. The rest is history of course, with me doing more stupid things like faking having a boyfriend to get his attention, not even realizing I was falling more in love with the idiot.

* * *

It is now the last day of April, I decided to take some time to myself this afternoon and go around shopping in Akiba for some new Meruru figures based on the new second season, and some new eroge. It's the first time in a while I decided not to take Kyousuke along. He should be at home either taking a nap or playing one of my eroge I've 'recommended' for him. Kyousuke decided he would wait until next year to enter a university as he did not know what he wants to major in. To be honest, that's a tough one to figure out even for me. He doesn't really have any special talents or interests as far as I know. He'd probably be better living off me for the rest of his life. Fuhihi~ now that would be something. It would be the closest thing of us being a wife and husband...b-but I can't think like that anymore, after all we're just...normal siblings. In the mean time, Kyousuke decided to get a job in downtown Chiba working as a store clerk for a small family owned bakery. It's simple, but I guess it fits him.

Mom and dad still have no clue what happened between Kyousuke and I. In fact, mom seems overjoyed about the fact that we're getting along now after all these years. She seems to note how I'm a lot happier and actually spend more time talking at the table during breakfast, lunch and dinner. I admit, back then due to my schedule and armor I've built for myself, I haven't been as close to my parents as I should be. I love them both very much, but I just haven't connected as much with them as I have with Kyousuke. After all, Kyousuke has been supportive of me and my otaku hobby without question.

Dad has also lighten up a bit, he's still a little protective of me, but he now recognizes me as an adult and lets me have my full independence. Well almost, I still have a curfew to follow, but he's a lot more lenient on it as long as I call saying I'll be late. His attitude towards Kyousuke has also changed due to our closeness. He believes Kyousuke is the only person worthy of looking out and protecting me, and I couldn't agree more. Kyousuke will always be that one person in my heart, brother or not, and it makes me sad that dad would never allow him to take my hand in marriage.

I was just finishing up my shopping and started to head towards the train station when...

"KIRINOOO!"

"Ay-Ayase?!" My eyes widen in surprise. Ayase? In Akiba? What she doing here? Let alone in this section? Before I could ask her she runs up to me and dives into my waist for a hug.

"Ahhh! I thought I'd find you here! It's been so long!"

"Hah? Ayase?! Ouch, could you let go? I can't...gah...I can't breathe!"

"But I've missed you soooo much!"

"Hah...hah...it's ok Ayase, I've missed you too...but I thought...you were mad at me?"

"Well...that's what I wanted to see you for, Kirino. Can we...go somewhere to talk?" I nod hesitantly and walk beside Ayase towards the maid café. If I know better, she probably wants to talk about Kyousuke and I's relationship. Back then, when Kyousuke and I started dating, I told her about it and well, she didn't take it too well...

* * *

After telling Kuroneko and Saori about us, who I must say have been very supportive, I decided to go to Ayase's house alone to tell her about Kyousuke and myself.

"Ah Kirino! This is an unexpected visit!"

"Hey Ayase, can I come in for a bit? I need to talk to you about something very important."

"Sure, let's go up to my room. I want to show you this new outfit I've purchased last week. Hehehe." I'm glad she was in a good mood that day. I was worried she would be sulking over Aniki's rejection of her. He mentioned it during his confession to me, it must have been hard on the poor girl. As far as I know, she has never confessed to anyone before, noting that most guys are just too immature and perverted, which I might add I couldn't agree more! When she saw Kyousuke for what he truly was, the one who would do anything to protect his little sister, even losing face and respect, she must have fallen head over heels for him, I know I did.

We reached the top of the stairs and entered her room. I've been here over a dozen times before. Her room is actually pretty simple compared to mines. It doesn't have much of a girl's "pizzazz" or any type of cute decorations. If you didn't know better, you would say it could be a boy's room. She has a shelf with a ton of books on it, a study desk with even more books on the side and a teddy bear in the middle with some knickknacks close by. The window sill has a bowl of fruit sitting in the middle and the curtains have a pretty blue hue to them. The walls do have some pictures and decorations on them, but nothing that really stands out as eye-catching. The one thing that really gives it off as a girl's room is the smell of lavender and lilacs. Ayase has always had a unique smell to her, as do I, with mines being strawberries.

I sit at the end of her bed, waiting for her to grab her dress when I noticed something on her desk that should not belong here in her room...are those...a pair of handcuffs?!

"Uh...Ayase? Why do you have handcuffs?" Ayase quickly turns towards her desk and her face registers a look of horror and embarrassment. She quickly darts towards her desk and grabs the said item and hides them inside her drawer. The look on her face is priceless and she begins to stammer a bit.

"Ah ah...uhm...it's nothing...it's for uhm...research! Yes, that's it! Research! I'm doing research on criminal law and just had these around to help me study. Ahahahahah!" Geez, for someone who hates liars, she really is a bad one herself. I decide to tease her a bit.

"Oh? Are you sure you don't have some sort of "interest" you've taken a liking to?" I put more emphasis on the word while winking mischievously at her. Poor girl looks like she's going to pop with all the blood rushing to her face.

"Wh-what? What are you implying Kirino? Just because you have weird...hobbies doesn't mean I do!" I giggled in my head at the comment, knowing full well what she means. I know Ayase hasn't fully accepted my otaku hobby even as of now, but at least she's baring with it. She's even gotten me a gift for me that went towards my hobby. She's really one of my best friends, and deep down, I had hoped that would be enough for her to accept Kyousuke and I for what we were.

"Hehehe, I'm just kidding Ayase. Now, show me that pretty dress you've gotten."

Ayase's expression immediately changes to a beaming smile and she quickly runs to the bathroom and gets changed. I take the time that she's gone to prepare myself for what I want to say to her. This isn't going to be any easier than the time she found out about my otaku hobby, and this time I don't have Kyousuke to help me, although I doubt this time he could. I study my lines in my head when the door opens to show Ayase in her new outfit.

She was wearing a light blue checkered dress, knee long with white frills outlining the edge of her chest area, with a short light blue denim jacket topped over it. The color blue really goes good with Ayase and it matches her hair quite nicely.

"Wow Ayase, that looks really good on you!"

"Hehe, you think so?" She says while twirling around in her dress.

"I'm glad, I kinda bought it out of impulse but I'm happy it looks good on me." After she finishes up showcasing her dress, she sits down next to me on her bed and leans in.

"So, Kirino. What's on your mind today?" And here's the moment of truth, and I am absolutely terrified. My mind begins to flash back to the moment when Ayase found out about my hobby back in Akiba, tons and tons of doujin falling out of my bag getting soaked in the harsh rain that seemed to foreshadow everything perfectly. The look on her face when she told me we can't be friends anymore tore at me, and now I'm faced with that possibility again. Can I really go through with this?

"What's wrong Kirino? You look a bit pale." I take a deep breath and let it out. I've come this far, there's no backing out now.

"I have to tell you something. It's about Kyousuke and myself."

"Yes?" She raises her eyebrow a little. I'm surprised she hasn't jumped to conclusions when I mentioned his name and said something like "Did he sexually harass you?!"

"Kyousuke and I..." I pause to study her face a bit. She still seems calm. I take a big gulp and finish up.

"Kyousuke and I...are dating." I let out a deep breath and slowly turn my face towards Ayase. Her eyebrow is still cocked and her expression is frozen. It takes a good few seconds for her to respond.

"Ha...hahah. Come on now, Kirino. Quit joking around. You don't need to make excuses because you don't want Onii-san to date anyone."

"...It's not a joke...nor an excuse. Kyousuke and I are a couple. He confessed to me during our Christmas Eve date and we even spent the night in a hotel room." I added that last part in there to show her I'm serious, although that could be taken the wrong way very fast. I-I swear nothing happened that night! It's not that I would have...minded...it's just that we had just confessed! Geez, we're not a pair of rabbits! Anyways it seems to be effective though, as now her expression is totally different. Her eyes losing their sheen and becoming almost lifeless and her face becoming stoic. Oh boy, I can see why Kyousuke feared this one.

"Kirino...please...tell me this is a joke, because now it isn't funny anymore." I didn't bother explaining anymore. I just looked her square in the eye, those empty blue eyes and said:

"I'm sorry, Ayase." At that point, the room went silent. Both of our heads tilted towards the floor with neither of us saying a word for at least a full minute or so which felt like an eternity. Next thing I know I feel the bed let off some pressure and looked up to see Ayase standing with her back towards me. Her shoulders slumped.

"You know...I confessed to him, right? Around the time he finished his mock entrance test. I confessed and pour my heart out to him. I even cried in his arms when he rejected me and told me he had someone else he loved..." Her voice was cracking up quite a bit though I can't tell if she's crying or not, but I know where this is leading up to, and brace myself.

"Tell me...was that...the reason why he rejected me? Are you the one he loved?"

"Yes...I suppose...I was...I'm sorry Aya-"

"You're sorry?! How...how can you do such a shameful thing? How can you be dating your own brother?!" As predicted, she finally explodes. She turns towards me and I can see the tears run down her face. This is so hard to deal with but I have to be strong here. I know I'm dangerously close to losing my friend again.

"You must know it's wrong right? I mean...I knew you both had an incredibly strong bond with each other. When I saw how he didn't hesitate to pick you up during Kanako's concert when you couldn't make it...all the way from Akiba to Chiba and back! How hard he worked during his studies just to come back home to you. The way you looked at him despite all the insults you throw and he just smiles at you. I knew you both had something beyond a typical sibling bond but not at this level!"

"I'm sorry, it's not something I can explain to you so easily, Ayase. It just happened, and I don't care if it's wrong or not. I love him, and he loves me, and that's never going to change!"

"It just happened?! Or maybe that shameful hobby of yours corrupted you both! I always knew that eroge wasn't any good yet I still let you indulge in it. God I even turned a blind eye to it hoping you'd maybe one day grow out of it but it just made you worse off!" She's becoming hysterical, and I've heard enough. I quickly shoot up from her bed and yell out:

"It has nothing to do with my eroge! He's the reason I love eroge to begin with!"

"So he did corrupt you?! That whole time I thought he was lying, he did get you into that stuff?!"

"No Ayase, he didn't even know about my eroge until I showed him. I can't really explain it because I don't know for sure but...the eroge...it was my way of dealing with my feelings I had for him. Feelings I know I wasn't suppose to have! I got him into it because I wanted someone to talk to about it...because I was lonely and had no one to share my hobby with. He accepted me without even thinking about it despite not talking to each other for so long! Something apparently you can't even do yet you claim to be my best friend!" My last bit seems to have hit pretty deep as she takes a step back while gasping a little, clutching her hands into her chest as if she's having a heart attack, but I'm too fired up to stop now.

"Do you know why I didn't tell you about my hobby to begin with? Because I knew you would reject me outright, because everyone else would reject me! My friends, fans, hell even most of the student body! Do you know how that feels? Living in your own little world, alone with no one to talk to about your deepest secrets with the fear of losing those that are close to you?"

"I...I..." She tries to speak but nothing comes out, I cut her off and continue.

"But he...he accepted me. I've wished for someone to talk to about my hobby for so long and he was right there, the whole time, a few inches away from me behind a thin wall. We weren't even on good terms, we were on terrible terms, hell that's an understatement, we hated each other! But he accepted me, protected me and my hobby and never asked for anything back. He loves me for who I am, the REAL Kirino Kousaka, something not even my PARENTS were capable of doing at first! My awards, my achievements, my talents don't mean anything to him. He cares about my passion for the things I love. That's the reason why I fell in love with him!" The room again falls silent, Ayase is looking me dead in the eyes and I stand my ground as well, catching my breath after my speech. I don't know what's going to happen now. That was so hard for me to say all of that to her, it amazes me that I could never ever tell him all this myself yet he's the most important person in the world to me. I must be daffy. We stare at each other for a few more seconds until Ayase finally decides to break the silence. What comes out of her mouth is not what I was expecting.

"Y...you're right." Huh? Did I just hear that right? Is she accepting me or...

"You're right. I can't call myself your best friend...or your friend at all...because I can't accept you for who you are Kirino. I can't accept your shameful hobby or your immoral relationship."

"Hah?"

"I...I think...you should go. I promise I won't tell anyone about you two...just please...go." I knew this was coming, I knew it. I prepared myself for it, but it still hurts, again having to taste reality for what it is and once again losing my good friend. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my face so I made my way towards her door without question.

"I'm so sorry, Kirino." She says as I place my hands on the doorknob. I look over my left shoulder and just say:

"No you're not...but thank you anyways."

* * *

After that, I haven't heard from Ayase for months. The last time I saw her was during our graduation into High school, and even then she didn't look or talk to me. It wasn't as painful as it was the last time we had a falling out since I've spent a lot of time with Kyousuke, it helped keep my mind off it. I couldn't afford to be unhappy now. I wanted to enjoy my limited time with Kyousuke to the fullest.

So now, you can see why I'm just in complete shock to see my former best friend practically squeezing the life out of me claiming she had missed me this whole time. My mind is just in a jumble of questions right now, but I decide I'll go with her and see what she wants.

At the café, we ask for a booth next to the window. I order an ice tea, decaf, and Ayase orders a fruit juice. Our drinks don't take long to arrive and we both take a few sips before Ayase begins to speak.

"First off Kirino, I know you must be really confused and probably hate me right now...after what happened between us a few months back..." She says, a bit of hesitation in her tone. This must be really hard on her right now, but no more than it is for me. Hate? Not in the slightest...but I do feel a bit hostile towards her. I mean she practically threw me out of her life and then just grabs me back in as if nothing ever happened?

"I don't hate you Ayase, and I don't think I can ever bring myself to do so, but I admit I am still a bit sore after what happened. I mean, I never expected you to accept us, but I didn't think we would repeat the same cycle that happened last summer."

"I know, and that's I want...no...need to talk to you about, Kirino! I've made a terrible mistake yet again and it's been eating at me this whole time. Just please give me a chance and hear me out ok?" She looks at me in the eye with a little bit of hopefulness and sadness in her own. Bah, I can't deny her this. I nod in agreement and listen to what she has to say.

"Thank you, Kirino. Well...after we've stopped talking, I've been thinking about things...a lot of things, and well...I think for the most part...you dating your brother wasn't really what made me upset."

"Hah? It wasn't?!"

"Let me finish! Please..." I sigh and wave her on to continue, taking small sips of my tea to ease the tension.

"Thanks...like I said, I don't think I was too upset about you dating your brother. As I told you before, I suspected that you both were very close, if forbidding each other to date other people wasn't already an obvious sign. I think...for the most part, I was jealous of you." My eyes widen in surprise but I don't interrupt her again.

"You have such a kind-hearted person, so close by to you everyday, a person who is willing to do anything for you and never ask for anything in return. He would sacrifice his own well-being, image and time for you and the ones that are close to you and he's just an average guy. He's a rare species, Kirino. I think you know that and that's why I think I know why even you, his sister could fall in love with him. I haven't seen a guy like that in either middle or High school." I smile in the inside of my head. Yup, that's my idiot Aniki alright. The only guy who's ever taken my heart, and the only one who ever will.

"You know, when I confessed to him, I told him I wanted to marry him when I first met him so that you and I could always be together. You and I would be like sisters and we'd always be together. The three of us. I wouldn't let anything tear us apart. But that dream was crushed when he told me he loved someone else. I think that also had an impact on why I acted the way I did. In the end Kirino, after a lot of thinking, the thought of you dating your brother...didn't really bother me too much. I mean yes, I think it's...well...immoral...but...I noticed how much you've changed ever since your brother got involved into your life...how can it possibly be a bad thing when you've become a lot happier? Even if it's your brother, you should pursue what makes you happy!" Di-did she really just say that? This girl...who would raise a pitchfork at the first thing she sees as perverted is actually supporting this? Aww, Ayase, you sweet, sweet girl! You came a long way.

"And with that said, Kirino...I just wanted to say how sorry I am. I once again failed you as a best friend. I made the same mistake I did last summer and walked out on you. You were right with what you said, I can't claim myself to be your best friend. I think my friendship with you was based more on my admiration for everything you've achieved and what you were and not for who you really were. I saw a side of you that I never thought was possible for you to have and I just...couldn't adapt to it...how can I really call myself your best friend if I can't do that?!" Ayase starts to sob lightly into her hands and it breaks my heart. I got up from my booth and sat next to her, draping my arm over her and pulled her in for a hug. I can't stay mad at this girl, it's not her fault. I already know my relationship with Kyousuke back then was wrong, and a lot of people wouldn't accept it no matter what and would avoid us like the plague. But here she is, accepting me for who I am because she wants to desperately be the friend she thought she was to me, and she is. She truly is one of my greatest friends I could ever ask for.

"It's ok, Ayase. I forgive you, and thank you so much. You really are an amazing friend just for doing this. I don't want to lose your friendship, not ever. I know it was hard on you and still is, but thank you so much for deciding to be here for me." She slowly wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me back, her sobbing slowing down a bit. She lifts her head to face me, her makeup running down her face.

"No Kirino, thank you for forgiving me. I promise from this day forth, I will never turn my back on you again. I will earn to be called your best friend. I will support you and Kyousuke with anything I can." I smile and rub her back a little. This girl, I must mean a lot to her. I sometimes wish we were sisters. After a bit we release our hold on each other and finish up our drinks. I guess with all that said and done, I can give her an update on things...

"Thank you Ayase but...Kyousuke and I...aren't dating anymore." Ayase begins coughing a bit, choking on her drink. She looks to me with a shocked expression.

"Wh-what?! You're not dating anymore? But why? Did something happen? Did your parents find out?"

"No, they don't know what happened between Kyousuke and I...and we broke up because..."

"Please don't tell me it was because of what I said. If it is I'll never forgive myself!" Oh god she's jumping to conclusions. I gotta calm her down.

"No no Ayase, it had nothing to do with that! We made an agreement on Christmas eve to be limited time lovers until graduation. We enjoyed ourselves very much and don't regret anything..." Or so I think...

"But I don't understand. Why make an agreement like that if you both love each other? You can't just stop your feelings like that."

"...Actually it was I that came up with the agreement. I did it...for many reasons...reasons I'm still not sure about. I just...thought it would be for the best for both of us, for our parent's sake as well, and of course I still love him. I will never stop loving him."

"But...are you happy with this, Kirino? Is this what you truly want? What you both truly want?" I tilt my head towards my now empty cup and just stare into it. It's symbolic to the emptiness I've felt since Kyousuke and I broke up. I never actually asked Kyousuke if he was really happy with the decision. He seemed happy about it...but if I'm not...then maybe...

"It's...for the best, Ayase."

* * *

After about a half hour Ayase and I head home. I walk up to the gate and notice my brother's room light is off. Huh...is he still out? The jerk, he had damn better finished that eroge I gave him! He's late enough with it as it is!

"I'm home." I give my customary greeting and take my shoes off. I see mom cooking dinner in the kitchen, no sign of dad though. He must be working late again tonight.

"Ah, welcome home, honey! How was your day?"

"It was good. Where's Kyousuke? Is he still at work or something?"

"Hmm, nope. I think he said he was going to the library earlier. Said it would help him decide what he wants to do for college next year." Wow, that's shocking. My idiot brother actually looking forward to university?

"I'm so proud of him. He's come a long way from 2 years ago. I've never seen him this happy before and so enthusiastic about his future! I wonder...maybe he has a girlfriend Kirino?" I shudder at the thought. Even though we broke up, I'd kill him if he even thinks about another girl. God...I'm not suppose to think like this anymore.

"Hah! Right. Who would want to date that guy? He's so useless and dense, he makes ME sick to my stomach!"

"Hehehe now now, Kirino. Be nice to your older brother. I'm sure there's plenty of girls that would love to date him." Ugh...don't remind me. Most of them happen to be my friends.

"Well dinner will be ready soon, hun. Kyousuke should be home to eat as well. I'll call you."

"Thanks mom." I pick up my bags and run upstairs to my room but not before kicking that idiot's door, which has become something of a habit for me. I don't know why, I guess I just love to annoy him. I undress into my night-clothes which consist of my usual pink shirt and blue shorts. I grab my bag and hastily pull out my new eroge I bought earlier "Spring Time with Little Sister." I quickly take it out of the packaging and put it in my desktop CD drive when it hits me:

"...I don't really feel like playing this right now."

That's odd even for me. Usually I go nuts whenever I buy a new eroge. It's a clear sign I'm in a bad mood...maybe because of what I spoke about with Ayase earlier. I don't know why but I just can't seem to get into the mood now. After a moment of contemplation, I end up turning off my desktop and flop face down on my bed. I'll just wait for Aniki to come home. I want to ask him something anyways.

"I guess I'll just take a nap. Stupid Aniki, it's all his fault we had to talk about him today. He's going to make up for this later!"


	3. Are We Really Happy?

**A/N: Updated this chapter a bit. Made a few corrections in spelling, grammar and some missing words. I think I accidentally uploaded an older version of this chapter and not the current. Sorry about that.**

* * *

**Kyousuke:**

"I'm home." I finally return home after a long, somewhat depressing walk from the library and earlier's event. My usual cheery tone replaced with that of a melancholy one. I'll get over it though, I'm actually looking forward to seeing Kirino tonight.

"Ah Welcome back hun. Dinner is almost ready. Care to guess what I've made? Hehehe?" Says mom, looks like she's finishing up her special dish she mentioned to me earlier...hmm *sniff* *sniff*...Hey...that smells kinda good...

"Uhm...uh..."

"I'll smack you if you say curry." She says with a pout. She'll make good with that threat and with a frying pan still in her hand, my survival instincts tell me not to say curry...

"Uhm...curry?"

*PANG*

"OW! Come on, mom...the frying pan?!" Thank goodness it wasn't the one she was cooking with.

"Hmph! That's for being a jerk. Can't you see your mother is very happy about her achievement in the culinary arts?"

"Yea yea, my apologies master chef." That was so worth it though.

"And you know I'm bad at guessing, but I do smell...shrimp?"

"Hehehe, you're right about that part, but you'll have to wait until dinner to find out what it is. Also, Kirino is upstairs, haven't heard a peep from her since she's gotten back which is odd. I think she was looking for you earlier though."

"R-really?" My face turns red after hearing that...either because of excitement or pure dread I'm not sure.

"What did she want?"

"I'm not sure. Go upstairs and find out, hun. In fact bring her down for dinner. It's almost ready."

"Ok, mom." I begin to head upstairs, feelings of happiness from hearing my precious little sister wanted to see me, and those of terror for the possible threat of bodily harm running through my head. Although I'm sure I haven't done anything wrong right? Let's see...uhm...oh crap...that eroge she gave me 2 weeks ago...I didn't finish it yet. Yup, I'm going to get my ass kicked.

*knock knock* "Hey..Kirino? You in there?" I don't hear anything, but the door is locked, so I know she's in there. I hope she doesn't have her headphones on playing eroge.

*KNOCK KNOCK* "Hey! Kirino? Can you hear me?!" I knock harder, after a couple of seconds I decide to give up and turn to walk away when I hear her door begin to creek open slowly. About a few seconds, Kirino's head pokes through and I can see her face in the hallway light. Her room is dark, and judging from her looks, she may have been napping.

"What do you want Aniki?" She says while opening her door completely, with such a drone out tone in her voice that it doesn't even sound like a question. Oh well, it's better than how she use to greet me years back when she used to slam her door open right into my face, showing not a care in the world for my obvious discomfort. Oh hey, she doesn't sound mad! Maybe she won't ask about the eroge.

"Hello to you too, sleepy head. Mom asked me to come get you for dinner. She also said you were looking for me earlier?"

"Gross. Why would I be looking for you, idiot?" She says while crossing her arms. Yup, same old Kirino even after all this time. Though I've gotten used to it to point where I actually get a small kick from it. It is...after all part of her I fell in love with. Damn I'm such a masochist.

"Eh? Well excuse me! It's not everyday mom tells me my perfect little sister was looking for me."

"Oh? I bet you got all excited too, huh? You sis-con. Well, now that you've rudely woken me up, where were you all day?" She says now shifting her hands on her hips, trying to look upset. Heh, no matter how much she tries to deny it, she never realizes that her body language tells me other wise. I hope she never figures that little aspect of herself out. It's too cute.

"Library. Still deciding on what to do for next year as far as university goes."

"How about going to butler school? Since you've been such a good slave to me. Following my every whim and wish." She says with a smirk on her face. I feel my eyebrow twitch from that comment and decide to retaliate.

"Hmm, maybe I should. Though I'd only want to be YOUR butler exclusively, so that I cater to your every desire and needs, milady." I complete my tease with a wink. I think she got the hidden message on the get go as she's now blushing mad and averted eye contact with me. Victory is mine this round.

"P-pervert! Hitting on your little sister. Hmph!" Kirino walks pass me in a huff and heads down stairs quicker than lightning. I feel my face damn near pulling itself apart with my victorious grin. I follow behind and make my way to the dinner table. I see Kirino has sat down, still a bit flushed much to my amusement. I sit at my usual spot and avoid looking at her for now. My grin is still plastered on my face. Mom comes around and notices my expression almost immediately.

"My my, what's got you so happy all of a sudden, Kyousuke?"

"Er...nothing, mom." Quickly wiping my dumb grin off my face and attempt to change the subject.

"So, what's this you've made?" I look down at my plate to see this completely new dish of food, steam rising up and going straight into my nose. I see three large pieces of fried shrimp battered in a buttery sauce mixed with vegetables and white rice. Holy crap this looks...good!

"It's called Tendon. I got the recipe from a magazine. Go ahead and try it!" She says putting on a big smile on her face. We waste no time and dug right in. After a few chews, my mouth is in total bliss right now. I can't believe my mom actually made something good that's not curry! I look up at her and see she now has a hopeful look on her face. I know what she wants to hear and I'm more than happy to tell her.

"Mom...this is great!"

"Hah? Really?! Be honest!"

"No really this is amazing!"

"I agree with Aniki, this is really good mom! Jeez I might gain a couple of pounds after I ask for seconds." Kirino jumps in to help me get through mom's skepticism. Looks like it worked as mom takes a sigh or relief and smiles brightly.

*Sigh* "I'm so happy. Thanks you two. I wish your father wasn't working tonight so he could be here to taste this. I really wanted to surprise him."

"Oh? Daddy's working late again?"

"Yes. He's been called into overtime recently, but he promised me he'll take a week off for our anniversary next month." Oh yea! I almost forgot about that! Mom and dad has been married for almost 18 years now coming May. Lucky she mentioned it, I gotta get her those two a gift. Thank goodness for my job.

"Anywho, Kyousuke. I've meant to ask, whatever happened to Manami? I haven't seen her in a while." Damn near choked on my food from that question. Crap, of all times she could have asked that, it had to be when Kirino is around. I turn my eyes to her general direction and noticed she's not looking at me, instead content on eating her dinner. Still, I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that's telling me not to say a word. Oh well, I can't leave mom hanging.

"I think she's been busy with her studies mom. Probably why I haven't seen her in a while, but I did run into her at the library. Gah!"

Suddenly I feel sharp pain on my left ankle. I turn towards Kirino to see she's still eating contentedly. Eyes closed and everything. I'm not going crazy here am I? Pretty damn sure someone kicked me just now.

"Oh nice! Did you have some time to study together? Maybe Mana-chan can help you decide on what to do for university."

"Nah, we didn't study. She actually was buying some books before she left Chiba for university."

"Huh? She's leaving Chiba? How come? I thought you two were going to university together."

"Ow!" I quickly turn to my left and Kirino is once again eating without a care in the world. Goddamnit I know it's you. Cut that out already!

"N-no mom. I mean...we were...I guess...but I think she just had a change of heart and wanted to go traveling maybe? I don't know."

"Oh...I see. I'm disappointed, I thought you and Mana-chan were going to get married at some point. You both were always together since you were kids. It's a shame to see her go now."

I turn my eyes to see Kirino grinning devilishly at mom's comment. Yes yes, I know what you're thinking you little brat. Manami is finally out of the picture. That doesn't make me feel good. Not that it matters anymore anyways...

"Ugh mom, how many times I have to repeat myself? Manami and I were just friends. We don't feel that way for each other." Although after last month, I can only speak for myself.

"Hmph! Such a waste of all that time! She would have made the perfect wife for you. She was always taking care of my boy."

Wait for it...

"Ouch! Would yo-" Jeez, that one hurt more than the last two, but I shut myself up quickly before saying too much. Mom looks at me with the most confused face I've ever seen.

"Kyousuke? Are you ok?"

"Yea mom...I'm fine. I just bit my tongue." I avoid looking at Kirino again while hearing her mocking giggles under her breath. I'll get you later for this.

"Oh ok...oh well I'm sure going to miss little Mana-chan. Alright you both enjoy your meal. I'm going to watch some TV now."

"Thanks for the meal, mom." I watch her leave out the kitchen and enter the living room. As soon as she sits down, I turn my attention to Kirino, eyes glaring directly down at her, and of course, she's acting like she hasn't got a care in the world.

"Hey! What the heck was that all about, Kirino?" She looks at me in the corner of her eye, then looks back at her food.

"You didn't tell me you've met up with the plain girl earlier."

"I didn't think I needed to since I know you dislike her. Why does it matter to you now anyways?"

"Mhm...Thought you guys weren't friends anymore."

"We're not...well I mean we are but...not as much as before...it's not like we hate each other you know?"

Silence fills the kitchen area for a moment. She's still not looking at me, but I see she's stopped eating now and is just playing with her food, twirling the last piece of shrimp in her bowl as if it was a crank. It's a couple of seconds before she breaks the silence.

"D-do you regret it?" She asks hesitantly.

"Huh? Regret what exactly?"

"Do you regret not being as close to her anymore?" Ah hell. Now that's a dangerous question to answer, and I know Kirino won't let it go unless I do. Do I regret not having Manami around as much as before? Yes and no. Yes, of course because I've known Manami since we were kids. She's like family to me and thus a part of myself I can never let go. She was always there for me, especially during Kirino and I's cold war. I tell you, I don't know what I would have done if she wasn't around during that time. I think I would've killed myself as extreme as it sounds. Manami helped keep my sanity. No, because in a way, I felt myself drifting from Manami the moment I've found that damned eroge 2 years ago. I unconsciously began to distance myself from her while attending to Kirino's needs and in the end, I re-established my role as a big brother to her and I haven't been this happy about it in a long time. While Manami was essentially my rock in a storm, Kirino gave me something Manami couldn't: A light at the end of the tunnel, a reason to move forward and do my best, and of course...a purpose. I hate to admit but...I think I'm a lot happier being close to Kirino than I was to Manami, though still...Manami will always be as dear to me as she was before.

"...A little." I answer truthfully. I wait a bit to study her reaction before continuing.

"But it's fine, because I'm closer to you now, and I couldn't be happier with that." I finish with a smile despite her not looking at me. She finishes up the rest of her meal before responding:

"Idiot." She mumbles. Well then...not exactly the response I was expecting but it's her trademark I suppose. She then gets up, places her dishes in the sink and walks off, not even looking at me. She looks a bit irritated...should I have not said anything?

"Come to my room when you're done...I'll be waiting, so be quick about it."

"O-ok..."

Now that was even more unexpected...but nonetheless I finish up eating quickly and place my silverware in the sink as well before wishing mom goodnight.

"Good night mom, love you."

"Love you too, sweety. Good night."

I began heading upstairs with thoughts of what's to come running through my mind. What could she possibly want from me? Does she need more life advice? Or maybe she wants to inquire more about what happened between Manami and myself earlier. I sure hope not, that whole conversation really ruined my day, and just reminded me of how much I've really failed Kirino as an elder brother and how it never concerned me for 3 years. Although now our relationship is much better now, I can only imagine how things could have been if I was more...reliable.

Ah anyways, I shake the rest of my thoughts out of my head and arrive in front of Kirino's door. I can see the lights are on so she's definitely waiting on me.

*knock knock* "Hey, Kirino. I'm here."

"Come in." She says with a semi-serious tone, but her face doesn't match. She seems worried about something. I walk in without hesitation and stand in my usual spot, in the middle of her room. I hear the door close and turn to face Kirino. She hesitates for a minute before finally starts to speak.

"...Did you complete that game I gave you?" Ah crap. I knew she would bring that up eventually, but something tells me that's not what she originally wanted to ask.

"Uh...well..."

"You didn't, did you?" Gotta think of an excuse fast.

"Wellllll...I mean I finished half of it maybe? I finished up Aysu's and Chizu's route, now just starting up on Tigi's ro- Oof!" In a blink of an eye, I feel a pillow slam right into my face, knocking me on the floor. God it felt like a freaking boulder at the speed she threw it at.

"You idiot! That's only like a quarter of the game! You've had it for over 2 weeks and only completed a quarter? How slow can you be, baka?!

"Oh come on, give me a break! You know I've been busy with my job and university planning for next year. Plus that game is way more advanced than the games you used to make me play! Not only do I have to collect items, I have to give it to the right sister at the right times! How the heck am I suppose to know who to give what to?"

*Sigh* "You're so useless. Maybe if you read the story you would know that! Read the bright-colored highlighted hints, dummy!"

"But then that would take too long, and you always put a time limit on me. It's not like I can finish these games in one day like you can, Kirino."

"Tch. Excuses, you're just slow." She huffs out going into her trademark pose of crossing her arms and turning her head away. I don't know how she can do that and be so cute at the same time. My little sister is just something else.

"Ugh, ok ok, I get it. I'll finish it this week. I still don't know why you force me to play these games, ya know? I already understand you better than anyone."

"Hah...really. I doubt that..." Sigh, not this again. I thought we were pass this after all we've been through these 2 years.

"I suppose you're gonna say 'Don't talk to me as if you know me' right?" I retorted back.

"Do you?" It was at that point that I knew for sure something was bothering my little sister, and it had nothing to do with eroge. It's been a while since we've gotten into a small argument like this and now, all I want to do is avoid it. I just rise up from the floor and dust myself off. I look her straight in the eyes and replied.

"I would like to think so, but if I don't I wish you'd let me. We came a long way from 2 years ago, Kirino, and while I may not know every detail about you, I think I do know most of what makes you tick. I know I wasn't there for you those 3 years we weren't talking, but I'm here now, and I would love to get to know more of my little sister...as a big brother should." She says nothing after that, just stares at the ground a bit. I take that as my cue to leave and go to bed.

"Anyways, I'm going to bed now. Good night, Kirino." I walk passed her and laid my hands on the doorknob when I felt a small tug on the back of my shirt. I turn around to see Kirino, not looking up at me. I already know what this means. 'I want to talk.'

"Yes?" I say as I turn around to face her. I hear her mumble something but didn't quite get it...

"Hey speak up a little. I can't hear you." I say carefully as to not sound like I'm provoking her. She slowly looks up to me, ocean blue eyes locking with mines, blushing a little in the process. Whatever she wants to say to me must not be easy for her.

"Are you...happy?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Are you...happy with...you know...our agreement? Our promise?"

My eyes widen up and I barely keep my mouth from dropping. So that's what's bothering her. But I don't understand...why is she asking me this? Wasn't it her idea to begin with? Wasn't she happy that I agreed with it? Isn't that what matters? I wonder why now she's bringing it up. It's been two months since then.

"Huh? What's the matter? How come you're asking me this?"

"Just answer the question...please." *Sigh* What can I do now? She's not gonna let me leave unless I answer, let alone bug me about it later. If I don't, she'll probably stop talking to me, but how can I answer this? 'No Kirino, I'm not happy with the agreement. I only said yes because I thought that's what you wanted.' She would throw one hell of a tantrum if she knew I've practically been lying to her this whole time. I mean, yea I'm happy in general...but my heart is wailing for her love right now. I can't just shut it off...I don't know if she can either. With that thought, I decide to do the most logical thing possible in this situation:

"Y-yea...I'm happy." Yup, that's right. I'm going to lie. Seems like the best option in this situation, although it's not easy in any way.

"Hah...really? I'll hit you if you're lying." She inches closer to my face and attempts to stare me down, glaring at me with those cold blue eyes. I already know what she's trying to do. Kirino is really good at reading lies, especially from me. I'm guessing I have a tell or something I haven't figured out yet, or maybe I'm just a bad liar, but I can't let her shake me down this time. I take a deep breath, calm my nerves and smile while placing my hand on her head while trying not to make direct eye contact with her. I know this makes her feel at ease...whether she admits to it or not, I know my little sister enough to know what relaxes her.

"Yea. Really. I am. I regret nothing that happened between us, and I don't regret where it brought us. I'm just happy I have my precious little sister back."

Oh yea! That was smooth, Kyousuke. I could fall for myself from that. She seems to have calmed down now, I better take this opportunity to leave now before she starts having doubts about my sincerity...but first...

"Now, good night Kirino. We'll talk more tomorrow." After saying that, I lean down towards the side of her face and softly kiss her cheek and I see her start to blush madly. I must have done this a ton of times for the past month after I had done it the first time on our way to the Otaku girls offline meeting. Although she seemed mad at the time, she really wasn't, just flustered from not seeing it coming. Still seems to have that effect though, much to my enjoyment.

"Idiot." She says softly. "I thought I told you to quit doing that." I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Yea, she's told me to stop multiple times, but I know she doesn't mean it. She could easily stop me herself but never does.

"Hey, it's normal for siblings to kiss each other on the cheeks right?" I reply, smirking a little. I've really gotten bold over the past 2 years. Kinda feels...familiar. Natural even. Like it's been a part of me all along...

"Hmph. Again, using that excuse to try to do perverted things to your little sister. Have you no shame?" She says while putting her hands on her hips, but I notice on the side of her lips a smile beginning to form. I chuckle under my breath and reply:

"Hey hey, it's nothing like that. I don't have any ulterior motives alright?" With that said and done, I turn back to exit Kirino's room. I hear her door silently close behind me and look back just in time to see a crestfallen expression on Kirino's face through the closing crack. As much as I wanted to turn back and comfort her, I decide I better not, as I still don't know what to make of it.

I head back to my room and flop my back on the bed, staring up at the white ceiling. The moon is shining brightly tonight, beams of light peering through my shades enough to illuminate my room a bit. It helps me relax after that whole ordeal.

"Seems like she hasn't completely moved on from us yet either..." I say to myself. The very thought of it makes me smile a bit and in some strange way, gives me some form of hope in my mind. I thought Kirino was satisfied with our agreement back then, it's kinda shocking she would bring it back up all of a sudden. I'm almost sure I haven't done anything to warrant her to question me about whether I was really happy with the decision to break up with my precious little sister. Isn't it something we just had to do regardless of how we felt? Or is there more to it? I don't know, but the sudden inquiry of it really makes me wonder if she herself was happy with the decision. Maybe she didn't want me to agree with it at all, maybe she wanted me to scoop her up and elope with her some place where we could be happy together. Ah dammit now I'm just mixing reality with those cursed eroges of hers...there's no way we can do that...right? I toss the thought out of my head and begin to drift to dreamland, looking forward to the possibility of re-living a fantasy that I can probably never have in real life.

* * *

**Kirino:**

He's lying. The jerk, I know he is. Kyousuke was always bad at lying, especially to me because he has a tell when he tries to be calm and reassuring to me at times: He can't look at me directly in the eyes. Why would he lie all this time? If he really wasn't happy with our promise why didn't he object? Did he just say yes for the sake of my happiness? Ugh, that really pisses me off! He's always bending over backwards for me and putting up with my selfishness to please me. It's the part of him I both hate...and love the most about him: His kind, selfless and gentle heart makes my own yearn for him so much. It makes this whole thing even harder to bare with, having to acting as if we never loved each other.

I would've kicked him in the gut for lying to me just now, but I decided to just let it slide...after all, regardless if he was telling the truth or not, he's holding his end of the promise. This is just how it has to be, right? We just can't throw everything away to be together. What about our friends? Our public lives? God, even our parents! They would never approve of it, no matter how much we tell them we love each other, dad would be the first to react without hesitation and would probably beat the life out of Kyousuke. He trusts him with me so much, it would crush him if he knew, and now that mom and I are getting much closer now, I just can't bear to see her cry at the revelation of her kids in such an...immoral relationship.

But...what about us? What about Kyousuke and I's happiness? Shouldn't that come first? I'm focusing so much on everyone else's best interest and not our own. Ugh, I hate society sometimes! I hate all the rules and expectations that's been placed upon me. Why, why is it wrong for siblings to fall in love with each other? We're hurting no one! Yea, maybe it is weird, but is it really such a terrible thing? Is the freaking sky going to fall?!

"Ahh, I'm doing it again...calm down, girl. You're gonna wreck your nerves this way."

I shake myself out of my emotional war and flop face first into my bed. I don't even bother changing into my pajamas. I just want to sleep this night away and take comfort in the moonlight. I always find peace in it, ever since I was a kid, as if to reassure me that everything is going to be ok. As I hug my Meruru body pillow against my body, I look towards the wall and wonder if Kyousuke had went to bed yet. I wonder what he's thinking about after our conversation. Is he upset that I brought it up? Probably not, but I wish sometimes the idiot would just be honest with me instead of telling me what he thinks I want to hear. But hell, who am I to talk? Out of both of us, Kyousuke is the most honest and open. I always had a hard time telling my true feelings without being pushed into it, a thought which briefly brings Kuroneko and a certain incident at a hot springs to mind. He even confessed to me first despite the possibility of me rejecting him and never speaking to him again. I envy his courage...and in many ways, he's more brave than I am. He broke through my wall I've built around myself through years of hard work, pain and loneliness, and he's touched my heart so many times. It really makes me wonder why things turned out like this. Was it fate that I would fall in love with my brother? I don't know, but as I finally shut my eyes to retreat into the safe haven of my dreams, a place where I can live a life I truly wanted, I think to myself:

'I wonder how things would be like now if we didn't make that promise...'

* * *

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-*

"Huwaaaah...That was a nice dream, fuhihi~."

I wake up to a beautiful Monday morning. It's the first of May and it couldn't be more perfect. The sun is shining, birds singing, all that mushy stuff. Normally I appreciate mornings like this, but I'm too focused reminiscing on the wonderful dream I just had. I can't remember it fully, but I recall the mock wedding Kyousuke and I had last couple months and the kiss we've shared. Dammit, it's all his fault for kissing me on my cheek last night...but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it.

I get up and stretch my whole body, arms, legs and back. I seemed to have grown a few centimeters recently. Out of curiosity and to my slight embarrassment, I rub my...chest to gauge if they've grown or not as well.

"Hmm, they feel a bit bigger, definitely softer thou- what the heck am I doing!?"

I quickly pull my hands away and rise up from my bed. I must be going daft. I blame that pervert who lives next room to me...you know..speaking of him...I wonder what he thinks of my boob size. That neighbor girl he was always with had freaking melons for chest. Bet that's why he spent so much time with her...ok seriously, why am I thinking of this now? I must not be getting enough to eat lately.

I shake my head out of my weird moment, get up out of bed and do my daily routine. After my shower I get dressed in my school uniform, finish putting on my make up and head downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast. I turn to see mom already sitting at the table, but as I observe the table, I see that there's only 2 plates of food made...that's odd...

"Morning mom...where's Kyousuke and daddy?" I ask curiously.

"Morning honey. Your father and brother had to leave early this morning. Kyousuke left about an hour ago, his boss called him in early as well to help with inventory. Poor boy, I'll be sure to make him a huge sandwich when he comes back home."

"Ah, I see. I guess the idiot is actually making himself useful to someone." Mom chuckles under her breath at my comment. I'm really happy that we've become so close. I decide today I'll sit down in Kyousuke's spot since he's not here and dig into my food. After a few bites, mom strikes up a conversation with me.

"You know...I'm really happy you two are getting along so good again. It reminds me so much of when you both were kids." I stop chewing my oatmeal to respond.

"Hah? Where did that come from mom?" I ask in confusion. I already know mom's been happy with Kyousuke and I's repaired relationship but she's never brought it up in a conversation before.

"Hehehe, it's nothing hun. I'm just happy! It's like you two are kids again. You know you and him used to be inseparable in your childhood?"

"Hmph...not really." I say while staring down at my food. I'm obviously lying here, but I rather not remember the times I've had a wonderful Onii-chan around.

"Well I do. You two were amazingly close, I absolutely loved watching you two play together. The time I had bought you two a small swimming pool when you turned 5, how you two would go to the park all day long and Kyousuke would blow bubbles for you just to make you laugh. Oh! And how you've always wanted to take a bath with Kyousuke and he would try to run and you would have to force him? You were so adorable!" Her face lights up with glee that would put Miyabi-chan to shame. Damn you mom, must you really bring up those embarrassing memories?!

"Y-you're exaggerating! I would never want to take a bath with that gross moron! I'd rather bathe in a pool of acid." Mom bursts out laughing.

"Heheheh! But it's true, Kirino! You and him were that close...I remember how you and Kyousuke would nap on the sofa after playing all day. He would be face down on his stomach, and you would lie on his back. It was the most adorable thing I can remember...I would grab you two some snacks and leave it on the table for when you both woke up...I really miss those days.."

Ah geez, now I can't help but blush at that. I remember how clingy I was with him and used to smother him tremendously. Back then I was my brother's girl, and I thought no one could ever take my place by his side...then...

"But..." Mom interrupts my train of thought to continue. "I noticed you both starting to drift apart as you both got older. I guess it was normal though, with Kyousuke growing up now and spending time with little Manami, I guess he couldn't dote over you as much anymore. However as the years went by, I saw you two becoming more and more distant to the point where you didn't even talk to each other anymore. I was so concerned. For a while I wanted try to do something about it...as a parent I should have done something, but I didn't know what to do...I didn't know what was wrong...so I just let it go on in hopes it was just a phase and you both would come back talking again..."

Yea mom...we did...3 years later. Ugh why is she bringing this up now? The last thing I ever want to be reminded of is that painful memory of growing up without a brother to look up to. Being left behind for that plain girl. But since she brought this up, I want to know one thing:

"Why didn't you attempt to do anything mom? If you felt something was wrong. For 3 years we never said a word to each other. You must have sensed that was abnormal right? What if we were still not talking to this day, or even in the future? What would you have done?" A part of me always resented my parents for passively ignoring Kyousuke and I's cold war as if it was a completely normal thing. I always wondered why they never attempted to do anything or even talk to either of us...truth be told, I had always hoped my parents would help. Maybe they could have knocked some sense into Kyousuke for his sudden change. How could they not? It was such a dramatic shift in personality. How can one go from being ambitious, active and dependable into that of a worthless, lazy slacker who seemed to be on the verge of committing suicide? If I wasn't so young and angry at him I would've been worried! For dad, I can probably expect him not to really pay any mind, as he really doesn't care much for anything unless it affects the whole family or its "reputation"...but mom? She loves us too much to let something like that happen...why didn't she then?

"I didn't know what to do, hun...I thought... maybe it was normal for siblings to grow apart eventually in their lives...but even so...it was so hard to watch you both drift apart. It hurt so much to see my boy shut himself out from everyone. He seemed so apathetic about everything, like he just stopped trying, but I didn't know what to do..."

Oh no, I think I went a little overboard. Mom looks like she's ready to cry...

"Am I...a bad mother?" Oh no...now I feel even more terrible. I get up from my seat immediately and go around my distraught mother, draping my arms around her neck from behind and hug her tightly. There's no way I'm going to let this wonderful woman cry.

"No mom, you're an amazing mother. I wouldn't know what to do if you weren't around. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, you're not at fault for what happened between Kyousuke and I. We just grew apart...but now everything's fine, ok? So please, don't remind yourself of the past." I give her a light peck on her head and squeeze her a little more tightly. She holds my arms in return and leans against me.

"Thank you Kirino. I promise from this day on, I'll be more supportive of you two." I smile at her warm words.

"It's alright mom...besides, it was only a matter a time before Kyousuke came running back to me. He's too much of a sis-con." We both laugh at my jab towards my idiot brother. I'm really glad could share this moment with my mother now. It feels like we both made an unspoken apology to each other: Her for not stepping in during Kyousuke and I's cold war, and me for becoming so distant from her. I've always loved my mom, regardless of what happened and that will never change.

"I'm gonna head out to school now mom, see you later." I give her another kiss on the cheek.

"Have a good day, sweetheart. Love you."

"Love you too." I grab my bag and head out the door, waving a last good-bye to my mother. On my way there something that mom said kept jarring itself in my head:

**_"I promise from this day on, I'll be more supportive of you two."_**

In some weird way, this gives me a bit of hope. I know what she meant by it, but I wonder if Kyousuke and I were still together, would she support us? Albeit reluctantly? Most likely not, the woman has her common sense even if she's a loving parent. Still, I feel those words will come into play in the future somehow. For now, I'll just focus on the present: I have Ayase back as a friend, so I look forward to catching up with her.


	4. Honesty

**A/N: Sorry for the slight delay, I want to get at least a chapter out per week but I've been doing some crazy overtime at my job while it's available. Got a nice big chapter this time around though, over 10k words. I didn't mean to do so much, but then again I don't have a set maximum so I guess it works out. I also went back to the previous chapters and cleaned them up a bit. Nothing huge or story changing, just some grammar and spelling corrections. Hope you enjoy, reviews are very appreciated! Thanks so far for those who have faved and followed my story and myself.**

**Hotdog2201 & UzuPrince23: ****Thank you so much for your comments so far. Sorry for the long introduction, I had a feeling it was a bit long at first, so I'm glad I know now. I tried to make this feel like a sequel so I tried to recap the most vital parts of the story, guess I went a bit overboard. Thanks again and I'm glad you're enjoying this so far.**

* * *

**Kyousuke:**

There's no better aroma in the morning than that of freshly baked goods right out of a hot oven. The smell of cinnamon and sugar pervades the air, calming my nerves yet provoking my stomach, making it hard to keep my focus on doing my work in the stockroom. I ended up skipping breakfast this morning to show up early to take inventory, so right now it's like torture. Thankfully I'm just about done.

"Ok...we got plenty of flour, sugar and spices...I'd say we're pretty stocked, just a little low on buttermilk baking powder and apple fiber. I better let Mr. Sakamoto know so he can order some."

After finishing up, I head outside the stockroom to resume my duties at the register when I see Ayane leaning against the counter, humming a small tune to herself. She looks like she's waiting on something...

"Hey Ayane, are you waiting for something?"

"Oh Kyousuke! Yes I was waiting for you actually." I feel my face beginning to flush with appealed heat and I try my hardest to hold it back.

"O-oh? Did you need something?"

"No, but I have something for you, enjoy!" From there, Ayane picks up from the counter a dish holding a delicious looking slice of pie. I can't tell what kind it is from here, but judging from the color of the filling, it looks like either cherry or strawberry. There's also vanilla icing on top with sprinkles of cinnamon.

"Di-did you make this?"

"Mhm! My father told me he called you in a bit earlier and it looked like you didn't have anything to eat, so I made this for you." She says, tilting her head affectionately to the side while smiling.

"Wow, thank you Ayane. It looks amazing, but you didn't have to do that, I had planned to make up for missing breakfast later."

"Silly. Don't work on an empty stomach. It's not good for you. My father wouldn't had wanted you to do that either. He cares a lot about you." She says while placing both her hands on her hips. The action reminds me of a certain strawberry blond and I end struggling to hold back a grin.

"Heh, thanks but now I'm sure you're just flattering me. I'm just being myself." I say jokingly as I sit behind the counter to my wonderfully sweet-looking confection.

"Well that's what he likes about you. You ever wonder why he rejected so many young applicants?" I tilt my head sideways in curiosity.

"Hmm? Didn't he say it's because they weren't mature enough?"

"Well, true. That's part of it but he also thinks most them only wanted to work here because of...me. Every time they came in for an application, they would hit on me or eye me with such a perverted look. This one guy was particularly rash and actually tried "grabbing" me. My father...didn't take it too lightly." As she finishes up her story, she turns her head towards the nearby wall and I follow where she's looking at what appears to be a rather huge dent in the wall. It didn't take much to catch her point...wait...aren't these walls made of concrete?!

"I-I see...I never thought of your father as the violent type..."

"Oh no he isn't, he's quite gentle...just very, very protective of me."

"I see...well I'm glad he thinks highly of me. Maybe he wasn't joking when he said he wanted me to marry you huh? Hahaha!"

"I'm sure he was...but I wouldn't mind if he was serious." It took her a few seconds to realize what she said before her face goes into a shock and flushes madly.

"N-not that I meant anything by that! I just mean I wouldn't had been bothered. You're a nice guy, Kyousuke. That's all!" She says while flaying her hands wildly, I just sit there and gawk at her like a moron just as surprised as she was.

"I-I'm gonna go help mom in the kitchen...enjoy your pie, Kyousuke. I'll let dad know you're on your break."

"T-thanks Ayane. See you." Okay...that wasn't awkward at all, but I'm sure she doesn't really mean anything by it. I'm happy with the compliment though, so I shrug off the event and indulge in my tasty treat. About halfway through it, I hear the front door bell chime sound and...

"Kousaka?" Now there's a familiar voice...no way, could it be...

"Kouhei? What the heck are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that, Kousaka! What the heck are you doing working here? Ahh, forget that, how the heck are ya? I haven't seen you since graduation!" Ahh, Kouhei Akagi, my other great friend, second only to Manami, and probably my only great friend now since her departure from Chiba. Last time I saw him was after the graduation ceremony. He went out to an after party while I went to meet up with Kirino. Haven't heard from him since. Man that was at least two months ago.

"I'm doing good Akagi, and I'm working here for now until I go to university next year. There are things I need to take care of before I move forward."

"Seems like it. You totally ditched my after party invite last I remember. You should have been there Kousaka, it was awesome, and I was looking forward to rooming with you in a dorm. "

"Sorry...I wish I could explain, but I can't...really..."

"Hmm, tell you what. How about you make it up to your old pal by buying him a drink at that juice bar down the street, let's catch up some." Hmm, that's not a bad idea...I just remembered I'm on my break for the next hour.

"Heh, sounds good. Just don't buy anything expensive."

"Haha! Can't make any promises, Kousaka." I grab my jacket off the rack and join my fellow sis-con to the nearby juice bar. I take some time to study his appearance while we walk side by side. He's wearing some sort of fancy looking suit. Gray slacks, white button down shirt with a blue tie, and a matching gray jacket, carrying it around his shoulder. He looks like he going in for a job interview or something.

"What's with that get-up, Akagi? I haven't seen you looking that sharp since graduation. Going on a date?"

"Hahaha! No, nothing like that. I just came back from an interview for an internship for Child Therapy and Counseling." I raise my eyebrow in surprise.

"Huh? You? working with kids? That doesn't seem like you..."

"Haha...of course that's me! I might not look like it on the outside, but I love kids. After all, I've adored my little sister ever since we were kids. She was always a little angel to me and I loved nothing more than to dote over her." He finishes with a huge smile on his face. Proud sis-con indeed.

"Oh yea, I can see it now. You supplying the little children with homoge for Christmas and such. That's gonna make your career really successful."

"Sh-shut up! That's something between Sena and I!" We both laugh at my jab towards Akagi's supporting of Sena's fujoshi tendencies, although of course, I can't judge considering I'm in the same boat as he is. We reach the Juice bar and sit side by side on the open stools in the front. I order some barley tea, which has become somewhat of a tradition for me, and Akagi orders a root beer float. We take a few sips from our respective beverages when Akagi begins to speak.

"Speaking of which though, Kousaka...I've been meaning to ask you something...but I don't really know how to go about it without being straight to the point."

"Huh? What is it?"

"Are you sure? I might be crossing a line here..." He says as he puts his drink down on the counter.

"Just go ahead and ask, Akagi. I'm sure whatever you have to say isn't gonna upset me." Akagi then takes a deep breath then puts his hands in the back of his head, leaning his up towards the sky. Looks like this is something he's been really curious about.

*Sigh* "Alright...Kousaka...are you and your little sister...an item?" I nearly spit out my tea all over the counter, stopping just in time to swallow what was in my mouth. Immediately I start coughing from the quick rush of tea down my throat and lack of air. After catching my breath, I instantly look at Kouhei with a shocked expression. No way did he just ask me that! No way I agreed to let him! Damn it all!

"Wh-wh-what do you mean by that?"

"Well judging from your reaction Kousaka, you already know the answer to that. Ahh crap, now I feel bad for asking but I couldn't stand it anymore, I just had to know!" Dammit, I should have known Akagi would catch on to us at some point. The guy is a dedicated sis-con for years, no way I could have hidden it from him...well I guess there's no sense in denying it now...

"...How did you figure it out?"

"Well, it started off as a suspicion really. I mean back then, you told me you never got along with your sister. You barely ever mentioned her. Next thing I know, I run into you in Akiba buying eroge for her. That's when I started to suspect something fishy, or at least you weren't being completely honest about not getting along with your sister." Ahh, how could I forget? I thought my life would be over when I ran into him there of all places, but then it hit me: 'What the hell was HE doing there?' only to find out his own sister has a similar fetish as Kirino...just...way more creepy. After that whole ordeal with our imoutos, I can say it made my friendship with Akagi even stronger.

"Then my suspicions grew solid when Sena and I ran into you two during Christmas eve, buying eroge together! Dude, you both looked so much like a couple it was crazy! It was like looking into a mirror. Sena and I couldn't stop talking about it after we got home. We knew something was going on but I don't like jumping to conclusions unless I have hard facts. I just never had the chance to ask you back then, so I'm asking you now. Come on, Kousaka, you can be honest with me. You know I can keep a secret. You and I are practically bros." After hearing that, I felt a bit of relief. I know I can trust Akagi with this. Still...it's hard to just come out and say it.

"Well...we were for a while."

"Hmm? What do you mean "were"? He asks in confusion.

"I confessed to her on Christmas eve...we went to a hotel to decide what to do next. After some talking, we decided to become limited time lovers until graduation. When that day came, per our agreement, we broke up and went back to being just "normal siblings". While we don't really pretend nothing happened between us, we try not to show it or bring it up." The mere thought of that night fills me with both warmth and bitterness. Remembering that fateful Christmas night I confessed to the girl I loved will always be the greatest memory I have, but also the most painful knowing it couldn't go anywhere.

"I see...and are you both happy with that?"

"Well...she seems to be...she's the one who came up with the idea."

"Uh-huh...and what about you?"

"Eh? What do you mean me?"

"Just as I said: What about you? Are you happy with it?" He asks me with a bit of aggression in his voice as if he's interrogating me.

"...I'm happy as long as she's happy." I know the answer he's probably looking for, but I refuse to answer it and opt to dance around the question, hoping he won't press into it.

"Heh...I see...kinda like Sena and I." Wait...what?

"What do you mean by that?"

"Hehe...I guess since you've been honest with me about your little sister, I should return the favor. Well...like I said...Sena and I get along great...really great. Ever since I can remember Sena has been my little angel and I can't even think of another girl more cute than her. Sena feels the same about me. I was her one and only boy in her life. I looked out for her, played with her, made her my priority as we grew up. I guess it's strange to think that we would develop feelings for each other in our closeness, but it happened, and we didn't regret it. We ended up confessing our love for each other around the time we entered high school." What? No way. Is he serious? Sena and Akagi...a couple? I knew those two had a complex for each other but...

"Wait, you both...are in a relationship?"

"Well...no. If we were, she wouldn't have dated that damned Makabe brat. Man I wanted to strangle that kid I swear! But I was relieved when she told me he broke up with her after one of her fujoshi outbursts, claiming she may have scarred the boy for life. I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I'm probably the only one who accepts her for who she is without even a shred of scrutiny, and that's why we're so close to each other." Ahh, so she finally broke Makabe, eh? I have to hand it to the poor kid, sticking with her for that long and still having his innocence intact. I wonder what she did this time to scare him away.

"Anyways it's complicated. We've talk about it...a lot, still do, and while we both feel the same for each other, we ultimately decided not to pursue anything outside a typical brother-sister relationship for the sake of our parents. We love our parents a lot...they gave us each other, and the thought of hurting them if they were to ever find out about how we feel would be too painful to bare. It was a mutual agreement, so we don't have any regrets. But let me tell ya, if our parents weren't in the equation, Sena and I would be walking down that aisle right now."

"Fool...siblings can't get married." I reply smugly.

"Eh...the law shouldn't decide what counts as a marriage in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned, a stupid piece of paper with a few signatures doesn't mean crap when love is already enough to seal the deal." Wow...I've...never really thought of it that way. In a way he's right. What is it to be "legally" married? I mean if you're already willing to spend the rest of your life with a person you love, wouldn't that be just the same? I guess everything just needs to be "official".

"Anyways that aside, I think I understand a little why your sister came up with that agreement. Chances are she's really afraid of what might happen if you both get exposed, especially to your parents. Though I'm sure she still loves you a lot."

"Amazing...so your situation is the same as ours..."

"Well...almost."

"Why do you say that? We're in the exact same boat: We both love our little sisters, we both confessed, but we can't go any further because of society and our parents."

"You got that half right." I'm completely stumped now. What could possibly be different about our situation?

"Two things: One, Sena and I don't care what society thinks about us. It's only our parents that we're looking out for. Other than that, people can say whatever the hell they want, because in the end as long as I have Sena by my side, I'm happy." That's quite the brave statement, and I know he actually means it. I've seen it first hand back on Christmas Eve when he pretty much admitted to the store clerk that not only they're siblings but they're also a couple. Kirino and I just stood there in shock at his boldness.

"And second, I've accepted our agreement and have no regrets...you on the other hand...haven't. I can tell by the way you've avoided the question on whether you're satisfied with how things turned out between you two or not. Truth is you're not. You want more with your little sister. If I didn't know any better I'd said you're willing to sacrifice anything to be with her. Am I on target so far?" Freaking read me like a book. How the hell does he do it? What is he a psychic?

"You...you hit the nail on the head pretty much. No I'm not satisfied, but what can I do? This is what she wants, and I have to respect that. I was pretty determined to go through any obstacle that would come our way. I knew about the sacrifices and the consequences of our relationship, but I didn't care. I thought she didn't either, but I guess I was wrong."

"It's not that she cares, she's probably just afraid because she doesn't have the courage to go forward with what she really wants. Love is a trial, Kousaka, no matter what form it takes. What you and your sister have is one of the most purest forms of love...and with that comes hardship. You understand this, but maybe she doesn't. This is where you gotta come in and fight for it. You have to show her what you're willing to do to be with her, once she sees that, she'll draw strength from you. Love is a powerful thing, Kousaka. It could be your greatest asset or your greatest hindrance." Ok...I'm not crazy here right? Did he really just say all that? Akagi? My best friend and sis-con in crime? Who the hell would have thought he'd be so...insightful. Still, everything he said...makes sense, and damn if I didn't agree with him.

"Heh...never thought of you as the wise one, Akagi."

"Nah, I'm still a knuckle-head...I just have a strong belief of pursuing what makes a person happy. You only live once, ya know?"

"Yea...I guess you're right. Thanks Akagi, I'll keep everything you've said in mind. Who knows? Maybe things will change in the future."

"Well here's hoping to you both Kousaka, and I'm just gonna throw this out here: If you guys do decide to pursue a real relationship, just know you have my support. I'm sure Sena will too. Cheers!" We both smile at each other and raise our glasses for a toast. The ringing of our glasses echo into my head along with the words of wisdom Akagi has shared with me. Each syllable has burned deep into my brain, and as I drink the last contents of my drink, I put major consideration into them. Maybe he's right. Kirino just might be scared, and I haven't exactly been pushing for us. When she asked me last night if I was happy with our promise, I didn't answer her truthfully, nor did I ask her the same in return. Maybe it's time that I stepped up and be honest with not only her, but with myself: This isn't what I want for us. Kirino has always been the go-getter out of both of us; whatever she wants, she'll work hard to get it. So why can't I do that?

* * *

I finish up the rest of my day at the bakery, giving Ayane my thanks once again for the delicious pie she made for me and head home for dinner. I ended up staying a bit later to help out with ordering supplies so right now I can see the sun starting the set on my way home. Thoughts of my conversation with my good friend Akagi still running through my head. To be honest it brings me great relief to know he's in the same shoes as I am...like I'm not alone. It gives me a bit of courage and erases some doubts I've had. Still, it was only served as a small pep talk if anything. It's not like I'm gonna rush home and burst into Kirino's room and yell "I LOVE YOU KIRINO! RUN AWAY WITH ME!" and carry her out the house in a bridal style into the world unknown, completely blind to where we would go. She would just look at me crazy and proceed to beat me into oblivion. No, that's just the eroge rotting my brain from the inside out. Damn you, Kirino, I'm starting to think you DID have an ulterior motive for making me play those cursed games!

As I stroll up to the front gate of my home, I notice the family car parked in the front. Looks like dad is home, didn't think he'd be here so early with all the overtime he's putting in at the station. Oh well, I make my way inside and take a few seconds to observe my surroundings. I see a pair of small shoes left in the hallway along with a backpack which means Kirino's home from school. I also see a pair of suitcases stacked next to the door. Huh, I wonder what those are for. Did one of our family members come for a visit? I open the door into the living room and take a look around to see the TV on but no one's watching. On the screen I see the second season of Meruru playing, showing the climatic scene of the titular character Meruru being transformed into her Dark form and proceeds to annihilate the planet. Jeez, how many times have I seen this before? Also Kirino must have grown pretty gutsy to play one of her animes on TV while our parents are around. I guess they have gotten to the point where they don't really mind anymore.

"Kyousuke, where's your greeting?" In an instant, I seize up to the gruff and stern sounding voice of my father behind me, my arms slamming to my sides and I stand up straight, chest puffed out and chin up like I've just been call up by a drill sergeant. Ahh, my father always demanded respect from us and he'll always have that effect on me.

"S-sorry, dad. I'm home." I turn around carefully to see my father dressed up in a fancy suit, almost similar to the one Kouhei was wearing but this one is definitely more luxurious looking. An all black cashmere suit with a red button down shirt complete with a black tie and a handkerchief sticking out of his left pocket. The whole thing just reinforces the Yakuza look my dad gives off but in actuality he looks really sharp.

"Hey dad...what's with the nice looking suit? Going to a party?" Before he could answer I see mom appearing from behind him carrying out a small briefcase in her hands. After a second, I noticed she too is dressed up really nicely. She's wearing an emerald-green, spaghetti strap dress that reaches to her knees ending with white frills. Her neck is adorn with a silver necklace with a pendant in the shape of a heart while both of her wrist have miniature bracelets on them. She also fixed up her hair a bit, no longer frizzled, but straighten out with her bangs pulled to one side of her forehead held with a green hairclip. Never though I'd say this, but mom looks incredible right now.

"Ah Kyousuke! Welcome home, hun!" She says with a huge smile on her face. I'm still just staring at her in complete awe. Mom notices immediately and gives me a sly smirk.

"Hehe, how do I look? Stunning?" Mom twirls on the spot showcasing herself as if she's taking a photo shoot. She ends with a pose that makes me want to throw a bouquet of roses at her. Where did she learn that?

"You look...beautiful mom, but what's the occasion? I rarely see you dressed up this nicely."

*Sigh* "Did you forget already? You're so useless, Baka." I feel my eyebrow twitch instantly from the usual derogatory insult as I look up the stairs to see Kirino looking right back at me in a scowl, her arms folded into her chest as if I had just did something wrong. She's in her usual casual attire of blue (very) short shorts, and a pink sleeveless shirt.

"Didn't mom already tell you they're going out for their anniversary this month?" She says as she walks down the stairs. I scowl right back at her. Of course I remember their anniversary. How was I suppose to know they were leaving tonight, you damned brat?

"Hehehe, yes Kyousuke, you're father and I are getting ready to leave out tonight to go to Katori to stay at the old Sawara inns for about a week. We're going to a dance club first so that's why we're all dressed up. Do I really look good? Kirino helped me out herself." Well that explains a lot. If anyone in this household knows fashion it's Kirino herself. Before I can reply though, Kirino jumps into mom for a hug.

"Of course you look great, mom! After all, I'm the one who fixed you up! I think dad would agree too, since he can't take his eyes off you. Isn't that right, daddy?" I look towards my old man and I swear to goodness I almost lose it when I see his face turn into a brilliant hue of red, and for once it's not out of anger.

"D-don't go teasing your father, young lady! Remember who puts food in your mouth." Mom and Kirino giggle to themselves uncontrollably while I just stand there and smile at them. It's times like these I wish I had a camera.

"Hehehe calm down, honey. We're just having some fun, but I'm glad Kirino's work is having its intended effect." She ends with a wink towards dad. Immediately he walks away towards the kitchen with his face still as red as cherries while muttering under his breath:

"Women..." Kirino and mom start giggling up a storm with me chuckling on the side.

"Any who, Kyousuke, go fix yourself up for dinner. I've made tendon again for us before we leave out tonight. I want your father to try it. Come to the kitchen when you're done." I nod in acknowledgement and head upstairs to my room to change and freshen up. After changing out of my work attire which consist of a plain white T-shirt and blue jeans which I wear an apron over while at the shop, I put on my casual house clothes which are a pair of gray, knee length shorts, my white T-shirt with green sleeves and my blue sweater hoodie. I decide to use this opportunity as well to grab a certain "treat" I have wrapped up in a plastic bag for freshness out from my small refrigerator I keep at the corner of my room. Kirino gave it to me as a present a while back when I "moved" out to study for that mock exam. More like kicked out under the suspicion that I was doing..."weird things" to Kirino but that's old news. Now that I think about it though, mom was right to do that whether she was serious or not. At the time I was already aware of my feelings for Kirino but it wasn't at the level where I would have...done anything. That's absurd...even if I did have the occasional "dream" of her in a certain pink bikini that's set as my cell phone wallpaper even to this day, I still had my common sense not to go beyond the boundaries. I was pretty sure Kirino didn't feel the same about me as I did for her, but now that I know it's a different story...I wonder if she would have let me gotten away with...something.

Gah! What am I thinking right now!? No time for that. I shake myself out of my previous thoughts and open the fridge, taking out my gift I had bought from the bakery I work at for Mom and dad's anniversary. I chuckle evilly to myself. Heh, Kirino thinks she can show me up by dressing mom, huh? Time for her to get 1-upped. I walk back downstairs, hiding my gift behind my back to see everyone in their respective seats in the kitchen. Mom and Kirino still chatting and giggling while dad just sits their, stoic as always with a hint of annoyance on his face. Were they teasing the poor man the entire time I was upstairs?

"*Ahem* Mom, dad." Everyone turns their attention towards me, Kirino included. I quickly whip out my surprise from behind my back and set it on the table. Now for the finishing touch.

"Happy Anniversary!" I rip off the plastic bag in one fell swoop and throw it in the air as if I just did a magic trick. Tada! A square-shaped ice cream cake with white vanilla frosting topped with red edible candy roses on the top left corner. The sides are decorated to give a texture-like look similar to a leather stitched pillow with diamond patterns adorn with pins which are actually candy as well. The ice cream inside is chocolate with a cherry and vanilla filling in the middle. I take the time to study everyone's reaction: Mom's face beams brightly with happiness, mouth agape while clutching her hands together in excitement. Dad, of course, doesn't react much but I do take note of his eyes which seem to have widen more than normal. I then look towards Kirino, and to my utter amusement, her face registers that of total shock and awe. Her mouth is also agape but it's as though she's just seen a ghost. Her arms slumped to her sides and her back arched forward giving off a sort of "Uh-duuuh?" reaction to it. I win.

"K-Kyousuke, this is absolutely beautiful! Oh my word, isn't it beautiful honey?" I rub my finger below my nose in pride.

"How much did it cost, Kyousuke?" Of course, dad returns to his stoic, samurai-esque attitude almost in an instant. I'm not bother much by it though, it's hard to please the old man.

"D-don't worry about that, it's not important." Around 5,000 Yen...for those who are curious. Like I said before, good thing I have a job. It was actually a little more expensive than that, but Mr. Sakamoto gave me a discount on it. Dad seems slightly annoyed by my unwillingness to answer him, but it looks like he won't press the matter further. He probably wants to know so he can reimburse me the money. Not happening.

"A-anyways, let's eat!" I sit down in chair and scoot myself in. It was then I felt shivers running up my spine, and it was all too familiar. I turn to see Kirino giving me a death glare while clutching the knife she has in her hand unusually tight. Ahhh, the sweet look of defeat...even though it scared the hell out of me.

"There's no way you could have gotten something like that for cheap. Where the hell you get the money to pay for it?!"

"Uh...I have a job, remember?" I reply with blunt sarcasm which intentionally stokes the flames in Kirino. She just ends up growling at me, knowing well that I showed her up and she didn't see it coming.

"Hehehe, that's right Kirino. Your big brother is so responsible now. He's gonna make a fine husband to some lucky girl.~ Ah geez, you're gonna get me killed here, mom. Kirino of course reacts by huffing in her seat and turning away from me towards her plate. Well at least she has enough self-control not to stab me with the knife she has.

"Speaking of which, Kyousuke, that bakery..." Mom says as she pauses for a few to cut into her food.

"I've been there a few times before in the past. The family that owns it...they have a daughter right?" Ah crap...I know where this is going...

"Y-yea mom, Ayane is her name. She helps bake the food."

"Ah yes! I've seen her before. She's looks so much like her mother. Such a gorgeous girl. Tell me...do you both work together often?" Well then, this situation seems all too familiar, and with that I take a look at the corner of my eye to see Kirino viciously cutting into her food so much that I can ear the scraping of the plate. Why mom? Why do you put me in these situations?

"N-not really mom. For the most part I work the register while cleaning up the place a little. Ayane spends most of her time in the kitchen."

"So...have you ever tried talking to her in your spare time?" She asks inquisitively, waving her fork in the air with a piece of shrimp on the end.

"Uh...well mostly she's the one to talk to me first, although sometimes she offers me some of her baking here and there." It was at that moment where I realized I shouldn't have went into that last bit of detail as I felt something...cold...very...cold splash on my bare lap. I didn't even have a chance to see what it was as I instantly jumped up from my seat in reaction to the freezing substance.

"Oops! Oh I'm so sorry, how clumsy of me!" In a split second I turn towards Kirino and noticed that smug smile on her face. That damned girl. She purposely spilled her ice-cold water on me. God its freezing too! Did she get that water straight from the north pole or something? Our fridge isn't that good!

"Oh dear, Kyousuke. Go upstairs and change." Mom shouts out while throwing me a dry cloth. Luckily...or unluckily I'm wearing shorts so most of the beverage missed my clothes.

"I-I'm good mom. Most of it missed my clothes." Mom nods and I sit back down after cleaning myself off. I forced a fake smile to not only calm the situation down in front of my parents, but to also pass a message through my teeth that I only want my darling little sister to hear:

"Nice try. I'll get you for that later."

"Next time it won't be water." She whispers back to me in a low growl. I decided not to retort back and resume eating my meal. If I know her, she'll make good on that threat with something worse like scolding hot tea. I think I'll wear pants at meal times from now on.

"*Sigh* Kyousuke...what are we going to do with you? I don't know why you won't just settle down with a nice little girlfriend. You're 19 now hun, don't you think it's time to think about those kinds of things?" She says placing her chin on her right hand, a look of disappointment etched on her face. Jeez, she acts like I've never even touched a girl in my whole life!

"God mom, you make it sound like I should be getting married, and for your information I DID have a girlfriend about a year ago...but it didn't work out." The images of said girlfriend flash through my head: A person with long, straight black hair, pure white skin touched only with a beauty mark under her left eye who cosplays as the queen of nightmares from her favorite anime Maschera. Ruri Gokou, aka Kuroneko was my very first girlfriend and my very first heartbreak when she broke up with me that fateful night at the fireworks festival. It stung a lot, even after finding out her true motive behind it. While my heart belongs to Kirino now, Ruri will always have a place near it.

I can tell I probably shouldn't have brought that up here at the table because it seems to have gotten a silent reaction from Kirino...and it isn't good. She completely stopped eating her food and is now just playing with it, looking down at it as if a fly landed in it. I can't see her eyes now because her head is tilted way too low with her hair in the way. I guess she didn't expect me to bring up Kuroneko as an example...maybe she wanted me to use her instead? No no, that would have been much worse...right? Damn, I don't know...

"Besides, I want to focus on getting into university next year. Girls can wait."

"Uh-huh..." She mutters in a skeptical tone. I'm guessing she's not buying my excuse for me not dating.

"And what's your excuse, Kirino?" Instantly Kirino perks up and stares at mom with an expression that says 'Don't involve me into this!'

"Wh-what do you mean, mom?" She stammers out. Mom points her finger at her as if to accuse her of something.

"You know what I mean! You haven't gotten yourself a boyfriend either since you've broken up with your last one a year ago! How could you let that one get away!? He was so handsome and rich!" And there, karma comes to bite me on the ass, an event that I rather not remember. Mom, of course is talking about Kouki Mikagami, Kirino's fellow otaku friend, fashion model and designer of his own brand line of accessories for Eternal Blue. He's talented, good-looking and wealthy, everything I'm not. Kirino had him act as her boyfriend to incite jealousy out of me or at least acknowledge that I didn't want her to have a boyfriend, and boy did it work to a remarkable degree. After that whole situation and one messed up living room area we had a hell of a time explaining to mom and dad what happened. At first they thought I had fought Mikagami for dating Kirino, but then she came up with a clever story that Mikagami had confessed to cheating on her and they had a "quarrel" which resulted in cake and soda all over the living room and I was just caught in the crossfire. I don't know how she was able to do it but they were pretty much convinced, saving my ass, and much to the relief of my father who didn't like him anyways. When I told Mikagami about it, he ended up splitting his sides laughing, claiming that it wasn't too far from the truth since he already had a girlfriend. Great guy, really.

"M-mom! Didn't I already spend an hour explaining it to you both?! He was seeing someone behind my back, god! Why would you want me to date someone like that? That's why I haven't been dating anymore. Boys are stupid, lecherous, rotten, perverted, two-timing jerks! Hmph! I have better things to worry about...like my modeling and track." She finishes by crossing her arms and turning her head away. Why do I get the strange feeling I'm included in that group of boys?

"*Sigh* This won't do! Daisuke, say something! Don't you agree these two need to go out and date people?!" It's only until now that I noticed dad hasn't even participated in this conversation this entire time, content on eating his food like he usually does.

"Hmm. No." Says dad. His one worded answer pretty much stops the conversation in its tracks but he continues after swallowing the last piece of shrimp. "Kyousuke should do exactly as he said and focus on improving himself and his studies. That should be priority. As for Kirino...there's no one good enough for my daughter." Haha! As expected from the old man. He really doesn't like the idea of Kirino having a boyfriend, so it pretty much works out for him and could care less about this whole thing.

"Besides. There's no need to rush anything when it comes to finding your soul-mate. Fate will bring these two someone they will love and cherish for the rest of their lives. That's why I have your mother here."

"Oh Anata..." Mom jumps up her chair and wraps her arms around dad, caressing her cheek against his.

"That was such a sweet thing to say. You gave me the best 18 years of my life.~" Both dad and mom's faces are overflowing with charm-induced blush. Well mom's at least, dad just might be embarrassed. I couldn't help but smile at them. It's rare for me to see them this lovey-dovey, but then again after spending 3 years in isolation, you tend to miss a lot. Hopefully I'll never miss another minute of these good times again. I was just about to turn to Kirino to look at her reaction when she stood up abruptly, slamming her hands on the table with enough force to shake the silverware and plates. I swear she could have snapped the table in half if she tried. Her face registers annoyance, anger and something else I can't quite put my finger on.

"Thanks for the food..." She then walks out the dining area and heads up stairs, the entire time her head was towards the ground, strands of her hair obscuring her face. It doesn't go unnoticed by mom and dad and they both seem just as confused. What's her deal?

"Huh? What's the matter with Kirino?" Mom inquires, a tone of worry in her voice.

"Hormones. Most likely." Dad interjects. Face still flushed from mom's earlier attack. "She at that age now. Kyousuke, go upstairs and see if she's fine. Your mother and I are going to finish preparing. We'll call for you both when we're ready to leave out.

"Yes sir." As commanded I stand up quickly and place both mines and Kirino's dishes in the sink and head upstairs. I wonder what's gotten her in such a bad mood, that was such a rare scene of our parents we've just witnessed. It couldn't have been my cake for mom and dad that spoiled her mood. She knows she could do loads better if she wanted to with her humongous bank account. Maybe it was mom's inquiring on our respective love lives? I admit I was a little annoyed too, but it's something I'm used to, though now that I think about it, that's the first time mom actually asked Kirino about her relationship status. Maybe she wasn't ready for that.

Anyways I make it up the stairs but decide to head to my room for my towel and wipe off the rest of this water Kirino "accidentally" spilled on my lap. As I open my door to enter my room I could swear I feel eyes on me burning a hole deep through my skull. I can't see anything since it's night time by now and my lights are off. Maybe it's just my imagination. It's not the first time I've felt like I'm being watched but this time around it feels more...prominent. I feel around on my wall for the light switch and...

*Click*

I nearly jump high enough off the ground to hit my head on the ceiling when I see Kirino sitting on my bed staring directly at me. Her legs and arms crossed and her expression is similar to that of a jealous wife about to kill her cheating husband after finding the evidence of his latest adultery. Why have I made that comparison, I, for the life of me do not know, but it seems to fit just perfectly with this situation and what's to come.

"Uh...why are you in my room?" I ask hesitantly, making sure I don't sound too harsh with the fear of getting the life beaten out of me if I rub her the wrong way. She finally reacts by standing up and facing perfectly at me. I see her arms trembling and her hands clenched into a fist. Right now, every warning bell in my body is going off and telling me to run out the room as fast as I can and board up the door with wooden planks and 9-inch nails, but I stand my ground. This IS my room after all. While my sister still sends chills through my skin when she's like this, I've gotten to the point where I just accept whatever gets thrown at me and ask questions later. Seems to end up that way regardless.

That notion becomes reality as Kirino dashes towards me at almost breakneck speeds and, with a raise of her left leg and arch of her back, delivers an ungodly kick into my groin area. All I feel is searing pain that matches the intensity of the blank whiteness of my view. Did I black out? No...not yet anyways, but I definitely feel my face hitting the floor at full force. I clutch my oversensitive area that has just been bluntly struck while trying to maintain consciousness. I'm literally choking on my own breath as I try to breathe in some much needed air that escaped my lungs after the attack. After a few minutes of grunting and groaning, most of the pain subsides enough for me to raise my self up on my knees and face my attacker.

"*cough* Ho-holy mother of Kami...what in the HELL was that for, Kirino?!" I'm surprised I'm able to get that much out in one breath.

"You baka!" She hollers, stomping on my floor with the foot she practically castrated me with.

"Why the hell did you bring up that damned black cat of all people?!" What? Of all people? Who the hell else have I dated aside from Kuroneko and her? It's not like I could freaking tell them I've dated Kirino. My life would have ended there in the most bloody fashion.

"...Are you serious? *cough* In case you haven't noticed...the only other person I've dated was you...What was I suppose to say? 'Well mom I dated Kirino for a few months behind your backs but decided to break up because we're siblings. Hope you understand!'"

"Obviously, but not like that, idiot! You could have been discreet about it. Ugh!" Why is she acting like this? I swear even as a 16 year-old she'll never change. She's still as short-tempered and unreasonable as ever. I mean I get it, I know it must have hurt her some to bring up a past relationship with her around, but last time I've checked we're suppose to act like "normal siblings" Normal siblings don't go kicking their older brothers in the nuts for mentioning past relationships!

"And who's this 'Ayane' girl, huh?" I was waiting for this. There's just no end to her onslaught right now. By this time, the pain in my groin has disappeared but I keep my current stance in fear that she'll take another shot at me, which will most likely result in me passing out.

"...You've already heard who she is...she's the daughter of the family that owns the shop. I guess you can say she's kinda like my co-worker."

"Right...a co-worker who bakes and feeds you her cooking. Do you think I'm a moron?" Yes. Right now, I think you're a huge moron, and I wish I had the nerve to tell you that.

"*sigh* It's not like that. She just wants my opinion on her cooking outside of her family. It's like I'm a taste tester for her."

"Hmph. Right. You're just a pervert that runs after any girl you come within 10 feet of. You make me sick." Alright, enough is enough now. I'm pretty close to losing my temper but I'll keep it at bay. For now I'll just vent a little...

"First of all...I don't know why it matters to you since we're just 'normal siblings' now. Not to say that I'm interested in her, because I'm not, but would I be in the wrong if I was? Second, you must think really low of me if you think I would have the emotional fortitude to start jumping to other girls after we had bro-" I stop short of the last part. I don't want to say what I want to say to her. I don't want her to know that I still haven't gotten over her and that I'm unhappy for fear of what might happen. I look in her eyes though and I could tell she has an idea of what I wanted to say. She looks a little taken aback. Ah hell, let me end this now before it gets nasty.

"...Never mind. Forget what I said. I'm going back downstairs. Stay in here if you want." I raise up from my crumpled position and turn my back towards my little sister, my intentions are clear. Avoid a confrontation. I don't get far before she grabs my pinky finger, stopping me in my tracks. I swear when she does this, any anger I had for her is replaced with a peaceful feeling and I can't help but find her to be extremely cute.

"What is it now?" I say in a stern but controlled voice. She doesn't look up at me, head tilted towards the ground, and her voice sounds pretty meek as she begins to say something that makes my heart do back flips.

"I-I'm sorry Aniki...it's just that...when you brought up the "black one"...I thought maybe you still had feelings for her...that maybe you regret having broken up with her. I guess...I just wanted to be the one you'd regret breaking up with." Wait...hold on...was she being honest just now? I'm not hearing things wrong right? My little sister who's always so full of pride and arrogance is actually showing a weak side of her and being honest with her feelings? She must have kicked me hard enough to send shock waves to my brain, but as she tightens her hold on my finger, I can tell I'm not imagining things here. God she's incredibly cute right now, it's this side of her I've always want to see and it never ceases to have its effects on me.

But now...what should I do? How do I respond to that? Do I be honest and tell her how I really feel or stand by our promise and tell her I don't regret anything. It might backfire on me because she'll probably think I still have a thing for Kuroneko. God I can practically hear the sound of a mouse sliding back and forth on the table, carefully choosing between the options:

1) Remove her hand and defuse the situation.

2) Embrace her and tell her your true feelings.

3) Tell her you need to see a doctor for your caved-in groin area.

I can actually visualize those options over Kirino's head. rectangular in shape with a green background and white text inside it along with a white border. Yup, the eroge has definitely rotted my brain, but now's not the time to think about that. I'm on a time limit and I need to select, pronto.

You know...lately, out of both of us, it seems like Kirino is having the hardest time abiding by our promise, if tonight wasn't a perfect example of that, and I can't help but bring to mind something Akagi said earlier today:

**_"She's probably just afraid because she doesn't have the courage to go forward with what she really wants."_**

**_"Love is a trial. You understand this, but maybe she doesn't."_**

_**"You have to show her what you're willing to do to be with her, once she sees that, she'll draw strength from you."**_

So...this is the moment of truth maybe, yes? Fine, I see what I have to do here. It's my turn to cheat on our promise. I hope I'm making the right decision here. She's showing a lot of signs that maybe she wants me to, but I'll take it slowly for now. Little by little. I turn around to face her and I slowly bring my right hand up to her face and cup her cheek into my palm. She's startled of course, probably thinking I wouldn't make such a daring move. I came this far now, time to act.

"Of course I regret you and I breaking up. That should go without saying right?" I start to caress her cheek with my thumb, her skin is so soft I can barely tell if she's wearing her make-up right now.

"But I was just trying to stick to our promise, I guess that's why I brought up Kuroneko. I didn't want you to feel bad if I did hinted about us. That...and I didn't want to risk mom catching onto anything...you know how sharp she can be." She seems to have calmed down some as I can feel her leaning her cheek further into my palm. It's a good sign and gives me the courage to continue.

"But I guess I should start being honest with you more: So I'm sorry Kirino, but...I lied when you asked me if I was happy with our promise. Truth is...I'm not. I understand why we had to do it, but that doesn't make it easy. I've only been trying to do what you wanted because I thought it made you happy, but in reality I'm hurting a little. I miss what we had back then. I miss all the good times we've shared. I miss...us." I let out a deep breath I didn't even know I was holding in. Feels like I just lifted a boulder off my chest. The feeling reminds me of that glorious Christmas Eve night I confessed to her, and that had to be the hardest thing I've ever done. Ever.

I wait for her reaction thinking maybe she would call me an idiot or get upset at me for lying to her all this time, but quite the contrary, her reaction is the complete opposite. She raises both her hands to meet up with the one cupping her cheek, and she rubs it, each hand parallel to mines. I observe the action for a bit before looking at her face to see she's smiling and blushing a shade of crimson, eyes glazed over with un-shed tears. My heart clenches at the sight of it and I end up smiling in return. Guess I made a good decision.

"You idiot." Well, I was half right, she did call me an idiot, but I feel no bite in that word, feels more like a term of endearment.

"I told you I would hit you if you lie to me, right?" She says softly with a hint of playfulness.

"You did...about a few minutes ago. I think I might need a doctor you know?"

"Call it women's intuition." I chuckle at that, still staring into those beautiful cerulean eyes of hers.

"Aniki...you don't have to put up with my selfishness all the time because you think it'll make me happy. Don't you know what that does to me? It makes me feel you don't want to be honest with me. I guess...that's why I doubt whether you're telling the truth or not sometimes. I know I haven't shown it much...but I care for your happiness too...I just...I just thought this was something we had to do..." I take a moment to absorb everything she said just now, and it's almost too much. I'm really not used to her being like this...so affectionate, so caring...so...womanly. It just makes me want to carry her over to my bed and...well...do things siblings shouldn't do. But I resist the urge...like I said, I need to take things slowly. I settle for wrapping my free arm around her waist and bring her body to meet mines. My pelvis meeting her stomach. To my surprise she doesn't resist and releases her hold on my hand coupling her cheek and wraps them around me, up to my back. My god, it feels like that moment in the church...when we had that mock marriage. The happiest moment of my life and I'm re-living it.

"I know. I understand. I'm not upset at you for it. I guess this is just for the best, for everyone else's sake...but you're right, I should be more honest with you, and I will...from now on, okay?" I say with confidence and certainty. She's right about me not being honest, and I think it's time to change that...for her and for myself.

"Stupid Aniki..." She mutters as she leans her head on my chest, facing away from me.

"I didn't make that promise only for the sake of everyone..." I pull my arms from around her waist and bring them up to each of her shoulders. I push myself away a bit but not too much to break our embrace to meet her eyes.

"R-really? Then what else is there?" I ask. She averts eye contact with me again and has a look of sadness laced with fear on her face.

"I...I don't know...I just...felt like it was the right thing to do at the time...like we didn't have a choice but this. I couldn't think of any other way." This girl. When she's like this it reminds me that despite all the achievements, awards and talents, deep down, she's still just a girl. Vulnerable and frail. I..I don't think I can hold myself back right now...and I find myself gently grasping her chin with my thumb and index finger and slowly turning her head towards me, looking at her in the eyes.

"Well...maybe we should reconsider that choice, huh?" She finally locks eyes with me, and I can see in them she wants something to happen, anything to happen, and I find myself leaning in slowly...

"...Maybe we should." She replies sweetly and quietly, as she returns the gesture and starts to move up to meet me halfway. Her eyes half-opened, her face flushed red. My heart starts to beat rapidly, images of our wedding flashing in my head. I want to always keep that memory, but I want to focus on the present for now. We're now close enough to feel each other's breath and I can practically taste hers, and it's good. So good. She tilts her head to the side and we're almost about to make sweet contact when-

"Kyousuke? Kirinooo~? Come down stairs to see us off, you two!"

We hear mom yelling for us from down the stair and we both snap out of our entrancement and jump back instantly as if we both just caught on fire (Which is a very fitting analogy at this moment). I end up letting out a disgruntled sigh with my arms slumping to the my sides in disappointment while Kirino places her right arm over the other while avoiding looking at me. Guess she's a bit embarrassed. Timing couldn't have been worse.

"I guess...we should go downstairs now." I mutter out, feeling like an idiot.

"You think? Hmph!" She huffs out, flicking her hair to the side to show her defiance then walks pass me, and not without shoving into me on the way. It never ceases to amaze me how she can switch personalities on the fly like that as if she's schizophrenic or something, and I wouldn't dare let her know that with the fear of my life making a drastic end.

"Hurry up and come down, and this conversation never happened, got it?!" She yells out, slamming my door closed afterwards. I can never read this girl, no matter close we get, she'll always be a mystery to me. First she asks me if I'm happy with our promise, then accuses me of seeing other girls, next thing you know we're about to make some..."life changing decisions" and now she wants to forget what happened? God I swear she's a like a whirlpool of emotions swallowing everything into its abyss...and I couldn't ask for better girl. God I'm such a masochist.

"Yea, yea." I say to myself. She had already left downstairs long ago, but it feels good to say anyways. I start to make my way outside the hallway, replaying what just happened in my room. I guess Kouhei was right, about a lot of things. I can tell she's afraid, but she wants this, us, but fear is holding her back, making her choose decisions she doesn't really want to make. She needs someone to have her back, to guide her to what her heart yearns for, which is where I come in, and I'm actually torn about it. I want her to accept what we are and embrace it, embrace our love, but I don't want to force it either. What if I push too hard and don't stop? That would be a pretty bad situation, right? But...at the very least...I can offer some "influence" here and there. Like I said before, I should take things slowly, let her take strength from me, and hope she'll come around eventually. I guess I just have to hope what dad said is true, and let fate bring us together. Even though I know his words wasn't intended for our particular situation, I can't help but draw my own strength from those words.


	5. Friends Are Forever

**A/N: Hey all! Got another big chapter for ya, biggest one so far with over 11k words. New record! I'm just about to hit that 50k milestone and I couldn't be any happier with the progress I've made in this story. Everyone's reviews, favs and follows are very much encouraging and I can't tell you enough how much it means to me and motivates me to continue. It makes me happy that my writing and story is actually good, especially since I'm a first-timer here. Anyways, thanks to all who reviewed, faved and followed and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!**

**Hotdog2201: Thanks! Yea I kinda surprised myself with how that chapter turned out. I had the most fun writing Kouhei and Kyousuke's part. There will be more Dere Kirino coming up most likely in the next chapter as I plan on trying my hand at some fluff. Hope I'll be good at it.**

**TrowGundam: Hahah, glad to hear that. You and me are in the same boat, man. Also a happy ending is what I have in mind, but believe me, the road to it won't be a pleasant one!**

**HannibalsGhost417:**** Much appreciated! Haha, a man can only hope!**

* * *

**Kyousuke:**

"Alright, you two. We'll be gone for about a week. Kyousuke, you're in charge of the house, keep the place clean. Oh, and here's some money, be sure to keep yourselves fed." Mom hands me a handful of Yen. I look down at it as it weighs down my hand, then glanced up at her as if she was crazy. It was then mom returned the look, confounded by my expression towards her.

"Hmm? What's the matter, Kyousuke?"

"Well...uhm, you gave me the money..."

"...Yes?" She says slightly raising her brow in confusion.

"...Well, usually you give Kirino the money for food when you guys leave out." Mom raises her hand to cover her mouth while letting out a teasing laughter which only serves to confuse me more. I look to Kirino who's standing on the right of me for insight on mom's strange reaction and she just gives me a mocking smile, further baffling me. Am I missing something here?

"Hehehehe, Kyousuke. You're so dense. You're right, I did used to leave Kirino in charge of the money, but that was before you've become more dependable." I feel myself deflate from that comment. I don't know whether to feel proud or just crawl to a nearby corner. It's not the first time mom has joked about my supposed "uselessness" in the past, so I end up just shrugging it off. Mom will always be mom I suppose.

"Don't take that as a compliment, Baka. You're still beneath me in the hierarchy of this family." She says while lording over me as if to intimidate me with her size. My sister has grown a few centimeters over the past 2 years but so have I, and she only really reaches up to my chest area. Still...I know better than to judge a book by its cover, knowing that she packs quite a punch in that small body of hers.

"Wouldn't dream of it." I mutter out sarcastically. I already know that bit of detail without her having to rub it in. Almost hard to believe that I'm the elder sibling here, right?

"Kyousuke, make sure you go to work on time, and I expect no less than an A from you, young lady."

"Of course, daddy, who do you think I am?" Kirino points out proudly, puffing her chest out forward. Her usual trademark response to dad and mom. Our parents then picked up the rest of their suitcases and walked out towards the car. It was around that moment that I felt a slight pressure on my right hand, it felt noticeably delicate...and smooth. I looked down my arm to see that Kirino has grabbed my hand. The action freezes me up instantly. I look towards her face to see her acting as if nothing is unusual, not even facing towards me, continuing to watch as our parents get in the car to leave. I felt my face beginning to flare up with but do my best to hold it back to ruse off any suspicion from our parents in case they notice the action.

"Alright you two, good-bye! We love you both."

"Love you two mom, dad. Drive safely!" Kirino yells out, passionately waving to our parents as the car drives off the curb. Once the car disappears from our field of vision, Kirino instantly releases my hand and nonchalantly walks back into the house, as if it was all for show. I observe the action with nothing but befuddlement on my face. I don't know what goes on in her head most of the times. I walk into the house a few seconds later after regaining my composure and close the door behind me. Kirino is already in the living room, sitting with her legs crossed on the couch as she watches TV. I decide to ask about her earlier action since she doesn't seem willing to bring it up herself.

"Uhm...hey, Kirino?" She instantly turns her eyes to look at me while keeping her head facing towards the TV.

"What? Are you going to bug me already now that our parents are gone?" This girl...

"I was just...wondering...ah never mind, it's not important..."

"What? If you have something to say, just spit it out already!" I flinched a little at that, but decided to go ahead and not keep her waiting any longer for fear of being yelled more.

"It's just that...I noticed you were holding my hand back there and..."

"Hmph. Don't go getting any dirty ideas, sis-con. I was just trying to show mom and dad that I'll keep you in line while they're gone." She's so cute when she's lying.

"Heh...right right. I was just bringing it up because...well...I don't know...it was kinda nice. Kinda reminded me of our time when we were dating." Kirino then brings her legs up to her chest and buries half her face in it, enough that I can still see her eyes, the scenes from the TV reflecting off of them.

"...Idiot. We're not suppose to talk about that anymore..." She says in such a low and sheepish voice I couldn't help but feel sadden by it myself.

"Ah...yea, I guess you're right." I guess she was serious when she said to forget the conversation we had in my room, which really brings my mood down. Such a fickle girl I swear, she's the one that started it all. Ah whatever then, it feels nothing but awkward now. May as well call it a night.

"Well then, I guess I'll head on to bed."

"Hah? Why? It's still early, you know?" I look towards the clock on the wall in the living room and see that it's 8:30 at night. Still that's good enough for me.

"Yea I know...but I had to get up early this morning to help with inventory at my job, did a lot of work so I'm a bit burnt out, heh."

"I-I see." She looks a bit disappointed, like she doesn't want me to go, and I'm almost tempted to go over and sit next to her, but I would look pretty stupid changing my mind like that unless, of course she actually tells me to stay. Wishful thinking on my part however.

"Good night, Kirino. Don't stay up too late." She gives me a nod and I turn to walk towards the door leading to the hallway. To be honest, I'm not really tired, I could actually stay up for a few more hours if I wanted to. I was just a little disappointed that Kirino seemed adamant about not talking our time when we dated, I didn't go without noticing the sadness in her voice though, but then why does she not want to talk about it? I was really looking forward to continuing what we've started in my room earlier before being interrupted...Well uh, the conversation we were having at least. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm really bummed about not kissing her, it's been 2 whole months since the last time I've felt her sweet, silky lips on mine, and I feel like I'm going through withdrawal, but I'm trying to keep that out of mind for now. I need to know what Kirino really wants for us, she's giving off too many signals for me to ignore. With that in mind, I stop short of opening the door before turning towards Kirino, noticing she still hasn't taken her eyes off me. She quickly turns her head towards the TV when our eyes made contact, blushing mildly. I hesitate with what I want to ask, but it's too late to go back now.

"Hey Kirino...I never got a chance to ask you this before but...are you...happy with our agreement?" It's a few moments before she responds, during so I look at her expressions and could see that she's struggling to come up with an answer, but when she finally did, I almost wish I didn't ask...

"I...I don't know." The room goes silent almost instantly. Not even the ambiance outside can penetrate this awkward atmosphere, almost as if time has stopped around us. I take it as my cue to finally leave.

"I see...well, good night then." I continue out of the living room, not even bothering to look back, and go upstairs into my room. I'm slightly irked right now. Most of the time her fickleness doesn't bother me, hell sometimes it brings a smile to my face, but in this case, it only serves to confuse and annoy me. She says it bothers her when I'm not honest with her, but she goes on to do the same thing to me. I don't want to go on and call her a hypocrite because honestly she's not, well to a degree at least...but I just can't really find a suitable word for her right now. I just wish she would freaking open up to me more, and be honest with her feelings. I much as I hate to admit it, I sometimes wonder if she really does love me. I know, I should be ashamed to even doubt something like that, but as far as I remember, I'm the only one who's actually said "I love you." Sure, she's implied it, and I know deep down she does, but still I long to hear her say those words to me. I guess it's just hard for her to say something so strong. Meh, now I'm depressed, I think I will go to bed. I flop on my back and pull the covers to my midriff, settling my arms to the side and let the ambiance of the outside world lull me to my slumber. As I began to doze off, I replay the moment that almost happened earlier in my head. Call it therapy or a theory, but I always felt that it "influences" the dreams I have, and I want to have a dream where I'm holding my beautiful little sister tight, body to body, skin to skin, and hear her mutter the words I so desperately want to hear with her sweet voice. Maybe one day that'll become a reality, maybe one day.

* * *

...

...

...

"Aniki?"

...

...

...

"Aniki...wake up." Hmm...I feel something shaking me...or rather not only shaking, but...rocking back and forth...on top of me, on my pelvic area as if I'm being straddle while hearing a familiar yet strangely sweet voice coming from the blank darkness behind my eye lids.

"Come on Kyousuke, get up already!" The sound of my name being spoken by such an angelic voice give me the push to open up my eyes. I'm hoping the one who owns such a voice is the one I'm thinking of right now. I open up my eyes at least halfway to see a beautiful image of a strawberry blonde girl staring down directly at me with a bright smile that could disarm even the most harden of men. Well this is all too familiar really...only thing missing is the stinging sensation to my face. Wonder why the big change?

"...Huh? Kirino? What are you doing in here?"

"Fuhihi~ Good morning to you too, Aniki~. I've come to wake you up."

"Huh? Did I oversleep? I must have forgotten to set my alarm. I gotta get up for work..."

"No Aniki, it's still kinda early...but I didn't wake you up for that."

"Oh...well then why did yo-" It was at that moment that I noticed what my darling little sister was wearing and almost choked on my heart as it jumped up and down my throat. Right now, Kirino is sitting on top of me wearing her two piece pink bikini, yup...that bikini. The one set as my wallpaper on my phone. Only difference is that the top is now tied with a string in front.

"Kirino...what are you doing?" I ask while staring at her curvaceous figure, skin glowing as the sun rises from outside my window reflect the rays off her body almost similar to an angelic light, illuminating the object of my desires.

"*Sigh* Stupid Aniki...isn't it obvious? Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"Uh...well...I mean..."

"Think about it for a sec, Aniki: Our parents are gone. For a whole week. We have the entire house to ourselves..." It didn't take much for me to get the hint but she continues to give "extra clues" while rocking her body side to side like a pendulum with each one.

"The bedroom...the kitchen...ehehehe~...the shower~." It was enough that she said the bedroom, but the last bit really got the blood flowing double time. To make matters worst (or better), She lowers herself down next to my left ear, lips caressing my lobes while whispering:

"Just you..." She then kisses my left cheek and makes her way to my right side, repeating the same gesture:

"And me." A kiss to my right cheek. It was then that I felt one particular area of my body beginning to "rise and shine" and ready to start the day with or without me. Kirino notices instantly and gives me a sly smirk, giggling teasingly.

"Fuhihi~...About time you've caught on, Aniki."

"Ki-kirino, I don't get it...w-what about our promise?" She puts one finger on her lips in mock consideration and I can't help but find her extremely cute...

"Hmm, I've thought about it, and I figured it's ok to cheat it on for now. It's rare that mom and dad go out, especially for this long, so we shouldn't waste this opportunity...right, O~nii~chan~?" The way she stretched out my honorific title so seductively has me nearly pass out from the sweetness of her voice while she starts to grind her hips into me softly. The gesture has me shudder. I can literally feel the blood rushing through my veins down to engorge my male physiology even further. It takes all my will power I have not to grab her and reverse the positions we are in. There would be no stopping me.

"Kirino..."

"Shhh, Aniki, just lay there, ok? Let me do all the work, fuhihi~ I know you love it when I'm on top of you like this, you never did a good job hiding "it" when I wake you." I blush ferociously at the comment. Damn, I should be ashamed of myself. How long has she noticed? Don't tell me right from our first night of our life counseling. Even I have to admit to being a pervert if that's the case...

"Now, Kyousuke~, we can't waste anymore time. Let's officially start our week alone together~." And with that, Kirino slowly raises her right hand in between her chest and clasps her thumb and index finger on the string that's holding her top half of her bikini together, biting her bottom lips in the process while looking at me seductively. Her bedroom eyes has me paralyzed, and I just lay there helplessly...and willingly to watch the little show. I can see her tugging on the loose string, the loops beginning to get smaller and smaller until finally they disappear, and Kirino brings her left hand up to open her bra to complete the deed. Before I get to see even an inch of cleavage, I suddenly snap out of my trance and grab her arm.

"Hmm? What's the matter, Aniki?" I shut my eyes and take a deep breath in preparation for what I'm about to do, and boy let me tell you, I'm going to hate myself for this...REALLY REALLY hate myself for this.

"Kirino, you...are a fake."

"Hah?!"

"First off, my little sister would never call me "Onii-chan". Aniki is the farthest she would ever go and believe me, she wouldn't use it as a term of endearment. Second, my little sister would never, I repeat, NEVER come into my room in her bikini and wake me up in this fashion...no matter how much I dream about it."

"K-kyousuke?"

"And as such, this is nothing but a dream, and I'm going to wake up once I say most of the line I've must have repeated over a 100 times, only this time around, for this..."special" occasion, I may as well mix it up a little. What I'm trying to say is..."

"THERE'S NO WAY MY LITTLE SISTER CAN BE THIS SE-"

*BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP*

As predicted, I wake with half my body on the floor, cover and sheets pulled off my bed and entangling my legs. I just stare up at the ceiling on my back, my expression is that of a dead fish.

"*Sigh* Yup, I totally hate myself right now. Why...OH WHY did I do that?" I'm so out of it I don't even bother turning off my alarm clock, in a few minutes it'll go into self-snooze. I must have had countless dreams like that and I've never did such a stupid thing as to intentionally wake myself up from them, and I can tell from the "tent" that's pitched up under my covers that my "friend" isn't too happy with the decision either. Sorry pal, I'll make it up to you when I take my shower, I won't use cold water. Maybe I'm just in a weird mood after last night with Kirino. I have to admit I'm still depressed about it, though I'm sure I'll get over it today. I'll just pretend nothing happened...just like she wants. Anyways I better start getting ready for wo-

*RING RING RING*

Ah, my cell phone. I quickly pick it up and check the caller ID to see it's...Mr. Sakamoto calling? I wonder why? Does he need me to come in early again?

"Hello?"

"Ahh, Kyousuke! Good morning, my boy! How did ya sleep?"

"Ahh, Good morning, Mr. Sakamoto. I've slept alright. I just woke up to get ready to come in for work."

"Gwah ha ha! Good, good! Well I'm glad I called you at this time then. I wanted to let you know that you can take the day off today.

"Huh? How come?"

"Because you've worked a ton yesterday, waking up and coming in early for inventory and staying even later after your shift to help out with stock ordering. I gotta say I'm impressed with your dedication to us and the shop! You're like a son to me, my boy, so I wanna make sure you're taken cared of. Go get yourself some much-needed rest!"

"Are you sure? I'm fine really. I can come in and work."

"If I see you come in here, I'm grabbing you by the grundies, and dragging you right back home, Gwah ha ha! Take the day off, Kyousuke. You've earned it, and you'll be paid for it as well."

"Wow...thank you, Mr. Sakamoto. I really appreciate it!"

"Think nothing of it, son! You look out for us, we'll look out for you! Have a good'n!"

*Click*

"Wow...talk about a self-esteem booster." I say with a huge smile growing on my face. I really feel fortunate to work for such great people. They remind me a little of the Tamuras. They've always been welcoming of me and made me feel right at home, like I was part of the family. I should pay them a visit sometime, it's actually been a while since I've last visited, and with Manami already gone for university, I should check in and see how they're doing. A part of me wishes I was this close to my parents, mostly my father. Even though I've regained some of his lost respect, I know I'll always be second in his eyes. I don't know whether it's because he's just overly fond of Kirino, or because I didn't turn out like he expected me to, and a part of me has always silently resented him for that. Maybe that's why I've grown so distant from my parents in the past, their favoritism for my talented little sister always had a negative and hurtful effect on me, but then again, I did shut myself out from everyone for 3 long years...I guess it's to be expected.

Well anyways, no need to bring up bad memories so early in the morning, I should get some more sleep. Kirino should have already left for school by now, so I'll have the house to myself until she gets back. I'll wake up sometime in the afternoon to finish up that damned eroge so she can get off my back about it. I slide myself back in bed and try to get back to sleep quickly to see if I can resume the rest of my earlier dream. Brace yourself, Dream Kirino, this time it'll be me removing your top, and I won't be gentle.

* * *

**Kirino:**

It's morning, and I'm on my way to school after eating a small breakfast of just oatmeal and a piece of fruit...and I feel like crap. Not due to the low quantity of food, but because I barely slept a wink last night. I tossed and turned in my bed replaying the events that occurred in Kyousuke's room. I can't believe I nearly gave into the temptation, if mom hadn't called us when she did, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself. We nearly broke our promise and it pisses me off...because I wanted to. I really did. The feeling of being in my brother's arms...I felt so content...so safe...so warm all over my body, I felt like could live in his arms forever. It was like I didn't have a care, nor worry in the world because I knew he would always protect me. Damn that boy, Kyousuke is the only guy in the world who can make me feel this way, and believe me, it's not an exaggeration. I've met plenty of guys, too many than I would like to think of, both in school, in public and at my job, and I've never taken any type of interest in any of them despite their feeble attempts to impress me. I can see the lust in their eyes every time they look at me, hell some of them don't even bother hiding it, and it makes me wish I could shed my skin from them soiling it with their perverted gazes. But when Kyousuke looks at me...I don't see lust in his eyes, I see love, I see appreciation, I see...longing. That night I looked into his eyes...I-I just couldn't help myself, my lips were aching for his. It's been so long since we've kissed. Damn him for being able to make me feel this way. Just damn him! I can feel my face practically heating up with blush just thinking about it. He's gonna pay for his attempted seduction of my innocence!

Bah! Who am I kidding? It's my fault. I've been slightly wavering from our promise ever since that conversation I had with Ayase a couple of days back in Akihabara. Granted before that, I already had some cracks in my determination, letting that idiot kiss me on the cheek, knowing full well it was more than "sibling affection", but actually talking about what happened between us...brought back some questions and doubts in my head...whether I've made the right decision to end things with Kyousuke. Maybe I didn't think it through long enough. Maybe I'm just scared if we're found out? I don't know, I mean so far our friends have been nothing but supportive of us, and believe me, it gives me great relief knowing it. Kuroneko, Saori, Sena, Mikagami and now Ayase. Each one of them lends a bit of strength for me to draw in. I wonder why I haven't decided to just keep our relationship a secret? It wouldn't had been too hard right? As long we didn't get caught and act casual in front of our parents. Did I really have to make it a limited time? Now that I think about it...that was a really...pointless thing to do. I may as well had rejected him right when he confessed to me, we were only delaying it with that stupid agreement and I feel like I've done nothing but betray his feelings, and I know it was hard for him to convey them to me. I know because I have yet to even tell him out loud that I love him, only he's done that, and it makes me hate myself. I don't know, maybe I was scared that the more time we've spent together as "lovers" the closer we would get, and of course, with closeness...comes...intimacy. I still remember that night I snuck into Kyousuke's bed wondering what he would do if he saw me. I made up some bull crap excuse that I was testing his progress as a fellow erogamer...but honestly...and I hate to admit this, I wanted him to do something to me. I wanted to test him to see if he really loved and saw me as a woman and not as his sister. He would have passed with flying colors...had I not freaked out when he touched my boobs...I guess I'm the most sensitive there, hehe~.

W-well anyways, it's not like I don't want to get...close to him in that way, god knows I've picture myself and him in plenty of scenarios related to my eroge, it's just...if we decide to go that far...there would be no turning back for us, any type of semblance we had as siblings would be gone, and I wouldn't be able to see him as my Aniki anymore, only as a man. But...isn't like that already? I mean I'm in love with the damn fool! Siblings don't fall in love with each other! So why? Why won't I go forward? What the hell do I really want?

"Heeeey, good morning, Kirino!" I break out of my thoughts and find that I arrived outside my school with Ayase and Kanako already waiting in front, chatting away as normal. They seem pretty excited, I wonder what they're talking about. Ayase spots me within a few feet and waves passionately.

"Good morning, Ayase. Good morning, Kanako." I wave back to both halfheartedly.

"Good morning, Kirino. You seem out of it today. Too much modeling work recently?" Kanako asks with a tinge of smugness.

"No, Kana-kana, I've taken it easy on the modeling until I get myself adjusted to high school. I'm fine though, just a lot on my mind, is all." Kanako tilts her head inquisitively, most likely expecting me to explain my dilemma, while I see Ayase give a small frown with a worried expression.

"Huh? The perfect Miss Kousaka is troubled with something? The world must be coming to an end!"

*SMACK*

In an instant, Ayase gives Kanako a horizontal chop right in her mouth. Ayase has always given Kanako tough love...or just plain abuse, take your pick.

"Quiet now, Kana-chan!~"

"Youch! Hey take it easy! You guys know I'm just kidding around~. I'm feeling really happy today I just can't help it!"

"Hmm? Why's that?" I ask.

"Tehehe, I'll tell you both at lunch time. Trust me, it'll be worth the wait. Let's just say my career as an idol has taken off to the stars!" Kanako speeds off ahead to class, jumping and squealing along the way. No doubt her time cosplaying as my favorite anime character Meruru has rubbed off on her whether she'll admit it or not. I'm now left with Ayase, the look of concern still etched on her face, but something tells me she's already aware of my problem, more or less.

"Kirino? Is everything ok...with...you know?" Such a perceptive girl, I tell you. I nod my head lightly at her inquiry.

"Yes, Ayase. Everything's fine with me and the idiot. Don't worry." She nods lightly, still having the look of concern on her face, but it seems she's given up for the time being. We both walk into school together and get ready for first period. High school isn't as different from middle school as I thought it would be, I mean there's new things to learn of course, but the difficulty really isn't that high. It perplexes me why Kyousuke wasn't able to hold his grades up. Around middle school, his grades were great, then started to slip around the time he got into high school.

There's some new classes, new things to learn and of course more club activities but all things considered...high school is only a slight step up. Where high school really differs from middle is the community: There's definitely an air of maturity in the atmosphere. The student body and the faculty staff is much different here. Most of the female students seem to have this sense of "royalty" among them as they can really come off as stuck up, unapproachable and condescending. I've heard at times during middle school that we were hard to approach as well, but only because we were very refined and mature for our age, we were never rude to any body who didn't deserve it (save for Kanako at times, but she always meant well) and we were actually great role models for everyone. Though of course our popularity, especially as models meant we that we also attracted a lot of perverts and creeps. Almost every male student in middle school would hit on us daily, it was so aggravating! Ugh, and don't even get me started when White Day came around. I swear the piles of love letters and requests to "Meet on the roof of the school" was outrageous! Talk about desperate! But here...while for the most part nothing has changed...it's actually not as bad and common. Some of the boys here are really mature, but I can still see the lust in their eyes when they stare at us, they just don't make it painfully obvious and have some self-control. *Sigh* Boys will be boys I suppose. They can stare all they want though, because they can't touch what they can't have. Hmph.

* * *

After class Ayase, Kanako and I head to the cafeteria for lunch, both of us eager to learn of Kanako's great news she promised to tell us earlier on. She urges us to sit at the table near the corner, away from the crowd. That's odd...we usually sit in the middle table when we eat...

"Kanako...why are we sitting here? Don't we usually sit in-"

"Shhh, quiet Kirino! I moved us here because I don't want anyone eavesdropping on us. What I have to tell you both is really, really, super awesome but needs to be kept secret for now. Hehehehe~ You guys ready?" Ayase and I both nod in acknowledgement. Kanako's eyes begin to shimmer before she sits down, clears her throat and begins to speak.

"Ahem, as you guys know, my career as an idol has been nothing short of amazing! In fact I've gathered a rather huge fan base recently, now I have a fan blog just like you both do and it's huge!" Wait what? We have a...

"We have a fan blog?!" Both Ayase and I yelp out in surprise.

"Huh? You guys didn't know that? Each of you must have at least 3 different fan blogs on the internet and they're really popular! How can you not know that? Don't you both use the internet? Especially you Kirino, you must spend a ridiculous time on there!"

"Uhh...well...yea I do, but I never once thought to look up myself. I'm not THAT self-absorbed!" Or rather I use most of my time on the net searching for guides and wikis on the latest eroges I've purchased which takes up a lot of time. I also try to keep my eye on upcoming eroge or sister-based games for a release date. I'm still waiting for the Ultimate Siscalypse game to come out! It'll have more options for customization and even super cute erotic finishing moves! Fuhihi~

"O-Of course I wouldn't know that Kanako!" Ayase blurts outs.

"I only use the internet for studying. Besides, aren't those blogs usually made by perverts? Who knows what kind of pictures they could have of us on there...AH! Now that I think about it...they could have nude photos of us! NO! My innocent body is on display for everyone to see!"

"C-calm down, Ayase! It's nothing like that! I've checked them all out and they're made by fans, INNOCENT fans mind you...besides, the only way for them to get nude photos is if they were sneaking pics of you both changing in the locker room or even in your homes."

"w-w-w-wh-wh-what did you say?!" We both sputter out. No, never! No one will EVER see my pure, innocent body in the nude. The only one who would come even an inch close to that is Kyousuke and even he doesn't have the privilege to grace his eyes on such a wonder of the world!

"Hahahah! I'm just teasing you guys. Jeez some things never change, huh?"

"Hmph! I can say the same about you!" Ayase yells out as she slams her hands on the table. She was always such a sensitive one, even if we don't have such a perverted blog on display on the net, she must be aware of the unwanted "benefits" that come with being a model. It's why we're already so popular in high school. Anyways, I better change the subject before someone gets strangled here...

"Ok ok, calm down, Ayase. Kanako, for the sake of hearing your good news before you meet a bloody death, you might wanna continue on, yes?" Kanako nods nervously in acknowledgement.

"R-right...Back to the topic! As I said before, my career as an idol is about to take a huge leap ahead! Guess who approached me about a month ago in my dressing room after one of my Meruru performances?"

"Who?"

"The creator himself! He said he's had his eye on me since I started idoling, it creeped me out at first but then he explained his plans for making a live action movie and said I was absolutely perfect to play the role of Meruru!" W-what? No way!

"W-w-WHAT?! Are you s-serious!? The creator himself visited you? For a MOVIE!?" I raise both my hands up to my mouth like the schoolgirl I am, struggling with the excitement of what I've just heard.

"Hehehe yup! He said he always wanted to make one but could never find anyone to fit the character in looks, style and acting. He wanted everything to be perfect. When he saw me, he knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity he just couldn't pass up!"

"No way...you're gonna be a movie star? I'm gonna see Kanako on the big screen?!" Ayase has a look of shock in her face, but her eyes read nothing short of amazement. I'm still struggling to process this brilliant news myself.

"Hehehe, well...nothing's set in stone yet. We're still negotiating the contract and working on the script together. I said I wanted to add some input on the story too because I don't want it to be too cutesy-feely. I haven't watched too much of the anime, but gawd, there's just too much MOE in it...though the destruction of planets is a nice touch. Mhmm. I also requested he includes Bridget-chan to play as Alpha-Omega as part of the deal. I would feel guilty not having her around after all this time together. As much as I hate to admit it, I've grown fond of the little brat...she's kinda like...the little sister I've never wanted. He was more than happy to accept, as she looks very similar to Al-Chan. Killing two birds with one stone, he says, but so far, everything is green lighted."

"Wow...this is unbelievable..." It was with that utterance of words that Kanako directed her full attention at me and gave me one of her most smug and stuck up looks to date. I think I have a good idea where this is about to go.

"Ha ha ha! Yes! That's it! That's what I was waiting for! Feeling jealous Kirino-chan?! I've finally surpassed you, Ms. Perfect! Don't feel too bad though, no one can keep the throne forever. Who knows? Maybe you'll get a part in a movie too once I'm already settled in a huge mansion basking at the height of my glory and fame!" This girl...usually when she gets like this, I would get annoyed, but jealousy is far from what I feel right now. I'm incredibly happy for her, and I going to show her that in the most physical way possible by squeezing her half to death with my love!

"J-jealous? Are you kidding?! I'm freaking thrilled! My kana-kana! Not only are you an idol of my favorite anime character of all time, but you're gonna play her in a Meruru movie!? God it's almost too much, too quick! I could hug you to death right now!"

"Gah! Hey hey, let go! I'm a valuable asset now, you know? You're gonna break somethi-GAH!" Teehee...I squeeze her harder both purposely and spitefully. I know she was expecting me to be upset at this glorious good news of hers, so I'm having the time of my life proving her wrong. Heheheh, I win~.

"Fuhihihi~ Yes you are. I should take you home and put you in a glass display case in the corner of my room for only my eyes to see! Wouldn't you like that?"

"N-now that's just creepy, Kirino...I'm not one of your anime model toys! Gah! Let gooooo!" Hehehe, she's so cute when she's angry. I let her go as requested. Her head drops to the table from the lack of blood in her head. I guess I kinda over did it.

"This is really great news, Kanako! We'll have to celebrate after school, right Kirino? What should we do? See a movie? Go shopping, maybe?" I ponder for a moment at Ayase's suggestions. While they all sound good, we've done that too many times in the past. No, we should do something we haven't done in ages...and I know just the thing.

"How about we have a sleep-over at my place? We haven't done that in I think a year maybe? My parents went out-of-town for a week, so it would be perfect!"

"That sounds great, Kirino! How about it, Kanako? You in?"

"Hmm...will there be food? Must have plenty of food."

"Hehe, yes Kana-kana, there will be food. I don't know how you're able to keep your figure with your humongous appetite."

"It's the dancing. Keeps me in shape."

* * *

The school day ends as usual, and I meet up with Ayase and Kanako at the entrance gate, laughing and gossiping over our day as well as Kanako's potential road to stardom. I really am happy for her, she's earned it. I know she's been through a lot in her life and this is probably the greatest gift life can give to her.

After an hour of going to both Kanako's and Ayase's house to grab sleeping bags and pajamas, we make it to my house. Kyousuke should still be at work now, as I usually make it home before he does unless I'm doing something else. House seems lifeless at the moment so I know he's out. We enter the house and I lead my friends into the living room for some refreshments. I guess I better grab some snacks for Kanako, she gets cranky when she doesn't have her daily truckload of sweets.

"Ooooooh, Mochi Ice cream and Anpan! Gimme gimme GIMME!"

"Kyaaah! Ok ok, don't bite my hands off!" I shout out while jumping back as I watch Kanako immediately dive into the tray of refreshments I've prepared and practically goes berserk. I swear I can hear a T-Rex roar coming from the gulps and chews coming out of her mouth.

"Mmm, Mmmm, Mhmmm. Oh...Uhmm, Mmm, you want some, Ayase?"

"N-no thanks, I think I'm full just watching you..."

"Tee-hee, more for me~." After watching Kanako indulge herself in her sugar rush, I decide I should go change out of my school attire into my usual house wear. I exit out the living room door to head upstairs when suddenly I feel something blunt knock into me on the right side of my body. It felt like a freaking truck and I squeal in response! I didn't get a chance to see what it was as I'm now falling face first towards the floor and I brace myself, my eyes closed by reflex from flinching. But before I make impact I feel something grab my waist and the back of my head and turn me 180 degrees.

*THUD*

That's all I hear after the descent to the floor stops. I'm not hurt however, but I'm super annoyed and want to personally crush whatever bumped into me...wait...what was it in the first place?

"Hey...Kirino, are you ok?"

"K-Kyousuke?!" Ugh of course, I should have known. My idiot Aniki once again crashed into me from not being careful of where he's going! Actually there's a blind spot on this particular area of the house due to the living room door opening outwards and not inwards. You can just open the door from the inside and smack someone in the hallway and they'll never see it coming, so it's not really his fault I suppose...we've frequently bumped here even as kids. Wait...why is he here?

"W-what the heck are you doing home so early?! I normally get home before you do!" I yell out, to be honest I'm relieved it is him and not some sort of burglar rummaging through our house.

"Ah...yea sorry, Mr. Sakamoto gave me the day off today, so I slept in all morning. I was just coming down to get some barley tea."

"Idiot...next time watch where you're goi-"

"My my, isn't this a lovely display?" I turn away from my brother towards the door to see Kanako and Ayase peeking their heads out. Their expressions are...weird, Kanako has a sly smirk on her face while Ayase has her hands up to her mouth in shock. Wonder what that's about?

"Are...are we interrupting you both?" Ayase mutters under her hands.

"Hah? What are you guys talking about?"

"Well...we heard a rather noticable "banging" and a yelp or two. When Ayase and I came over to investigate...well we put 2 and 2 together, Hehehe~."

"Hah? What's that suppose to...oh . my . GOD!" It took me a moment to get the drift of Kanako's insinuations as I finally notice the position my brother and I are in. Right now, Kyousuke is right on top of me, his left arm behind my head and his right around my waist. To make the picture even more suggestive, his right knee is riding up my skirt and if I had to guess, my panties are in full view for my friends to see. Does anyone believe in Deja Vu? Well I do, because this isn't the first time we were in such a...compromising position as I recall a certain event that involved a box full of Doujin with an Eternal Blue logo on it. No way, there's just NO WAY that this could happen again!

"Y-y-y-y-y-ou, you!"

"Uhm...heh...sorry Kirino...I'll get up now." Oh no you don't! You're not getting away that easily you-

"PERVERT!" I don't give him even a millisecond to react as I lift my right leg that's right below him and proceed to ram it right under his crotch like a catapult. All I see is his face turning blue as he falls over to his side off of me. Hmph! Serves you right! I hope I busted something!

"Pervert, pervert, pervert, PERVERT!" I yell as I quickly rise up from the ground and kick him repeatedly while he's down as he tries to block my blows. His efforts are useless though, I've spent years training these babies and I'm putting them to good use!

"GAH! He-hey! Knock it off! UMPH! It was an accident! GUH! An AC-CI-DENT!"

"Liar! Trying to molest your little sister now that our parents aren't around! Good thing I've brought my friends over today as witnesses to your assault!"

"UGH! It's not like that! GUWA! I grabbed you so you wouldn't get hurt! UBWAA! And did you REALLY have to kick me in the crotch again?! I can barely feel anything still from last night's assault!"

"O-ok Kirino! Calm down before you break Onii-san!" After a few pants, and one more kick to this moron's stomach, I finally do what Ayase's requested and relax. God I could die right now. I don't know why I didn't catch it sooner. Maybe because that's the first time we've ended up that way when usually we'd knock ourselves away from each other. Hah, that's just proof that this pervert did it on purpose!

"Hehehe, nice to see you both still get along oh so well~." Says Kanako. I can practically see a snake tongue slither out between her teeth.

"Yea...we get along as well as sugar and salt. Gah!" Kyousuke mutters under his breath, I kick him one more time for his smart mouth.

"Hehe, well we'll head upstairs for now, Kirino. Bring up some more snacks when you're done here." Both Ayase and Kanako head upstairs, laughing to themselves under their breath. I then turn to my idiot brother attempting to stand up and I'm resisting the itch to kick him down again.

"Jeez, Kirino, must you always beat me into a bloody pulp before I can explain anything?"

"Hmph! There's no need for you to explain that you're a raving, perverted, sis-con."

"*Sigh* I give up...last time I try to look out for you, and my hand is still throbbing from your big he-"

"What was that?!" I snap at him instantly, the look in my eyes must be terrifying as he looks like a puppy with his tail between his legs. How dare he claims my head is big? I'd kill him!

"N-nothing. Anyways I'll just go watch some TV." Huh? Where does he think he's going so fast? I'm not through with him yet. I grab him by his upper arm and stop him in his tracks before he reaches the living room door.

"Hold on. Did you sleep the entire day?"

"Well...kinda. I meant to wake up around noon, but I guess I overslept some. Why?" You lazy slacker...get one day off and you waste it on sleeping while he should have finished up that eroge! I'll make him pay for this.

"Good. So then you should be wide awake right? In that case, go to the store for me and pick up some more snacks and drinks!"

"W-what?"

"As you can see I have guest over, and they're spending the night, so I want them to be comfortable. Since you've slept all day like the lazy bum that you are, you may as well make yourself useful for tonight and be our personal sla- I mean attendant." Fufufu~ I almost let that slip.

"N-no way. I know where you're going with this without you even saying so, next thing you know you'll force me to cook for you and paint your toe nails!" Hmm, that wouldn't be too bad of an idea...nah, because then he'll have to do the same for Ayase and Kanako, and they would probably love it as much as I would.

"Tch. You're such a gross moron. We can do that ourselves, thank you. I'll just have you keep the place clean while we enjoy ourselves. What? Don't tell me you want to join us? Pervert."

"Like hell I would! Last thing I need to hear is girl gossip over who's the hottest guy in school." Target acquired.

"Oh? Heheh~ Would that make you jealous if I had such an opinion on someone, Aniki?~" I say teasingly as I put both my hands behind my back and lean up towards him, head tilting to the right. The action makes him blush almost instantly as he looks away from me. Hehehe, it makes me happy I have that effect on him.

"...Y-you wish." Hehehe, I hate to admit it, but he can be so adorable when he's flustered. Well I should probably stop teasing and send him on his way.

"Anyways, get your ass moving, baka! We need those snacks!"

"*Sigh* I guess it can't be helped...but wait...didn't we already have a good amount of snacks in the fridge? What happened to...oh never mind, I get it." We both look at the tray sitting on the table in the living and notice there's nothing left on it except for crumbs and some discarded containers.

"Hehehe, she really loves her sweets." Kyousuke instantly caught on to who the culprit was as I confirm it with a smile.

"Heh, tell me about it. Did you see her during my moving-in party a while back? I swear I don't know where she packs it in that tiny body of hers." We both snicker at our wisecrack towards my loli friend. I really love these moments I have with him, honestly. Back then we've never had this type of connection before, where I can tell jokes about my friends to someone who I know won't take it the wrong way. I love my friends dearly and they know I would never talk about them badly behind their backs, but I prefer that "guarantee" that whatever I say won't go back to them and they end up getting upset over it. This is the kind of thing I can only have with Kyousuke. My Aniki, my confidant...my...beloved...

"Anyways...I better get going. I'll knock on your door when I get back." I snap out of my thoughts to give him a nod of acknowledgement before he heads out. Ah dammit, now I feel all mushy inside. This boy is always going out of his way to do anything I ask of him, he deserves a reward.

"Hey." I whisper out softly, but he hears it right away.

"Hm?"

"...Thank you, Aniki. I'll...give you something in return later." At first his expression went to that of surprise, I guess he never expected that I would even bring up the possibility of rewarding him for his favors to me. That expression quickly turns into a smile...one that only he gives to me. I know it because it makes my heart skip every time.

"No problem. Just leave it to me." Finally he puts on his shoes and heads out. I just stand there and watch him like a wife seeing her husband off to work. Those words...I love them and hate them so much. It's those words he used to say to me when I was little every time he was off to solve a problem for me, and it fills me with great joy and warmth. But after a while, that feeling slowly turns cold...because it reminds me of the years I've spent alone...wanting to hear those words again, like some sort of trigger word that's linked to my heart. I wonder if I'll ever get over it really, we came a long way, but I still feel there are things between us that just can't be healed in a short time...if ever. I guess that's why I'm so mean to him at times, I really can't help it. I know I can be a bit selfish here and there, and I am struggling to change that...for him and for myself. He deserves so much more from me now, yet he never asks for anything in return, except for my happiness. The thought of it replaces the cold feeling I had just now and makes me absolutely giddy inside. It makes me love that big dope even more. God I'm such an emotional wreck. Anyways I better head upstairs now, Ayase and Kanako must be getting impatient.

I run upstairs up to my room and see Kanako and Ayase have made themselves comfortable on my bed while also giggling like mad, probably because of earlier's encounter with my idiot Aniki.

"Sorry guys, I sent Aniki to get some more snacks and stuff at the market."

"Hehehe, that was quite an entertaining show down there. Geez Kirino, don't you think you were a little hard on your brother?"

"Hmph! Not hard enough if you ask me." I huff out as I grab my desk chair to sit down, turning my view towards the two.

"Ah that reminds me Kirino, I was wondering if it was ok with you if I asked Kyousuke to manage me again. I think we get along really well and I trust him enough that he wouldn't try to screw me over during negotiations with the movie deal." Kanako asks casually. I'm shocked, of course, wondering why she would want my brother as her manager as I'm sure she could find better, more professional ones. Why does it have to be my Aniki?

"Ehm...well...uhm...he seems pretty busy lately...with work and university planning for next year. I don't know if he would have the time for it..." I answer back, my excuse seems pretty lame if my stammering wasn't an indication already. Kanako sees right through charade though and decides to tease me.

"Is that so, or you just don't want me to take your precious Onii-chan away from you?"

"W-what are you saying? I could care less about that useless sis-con. I'm just saying he might have his hands full, that's all!"

"Huh? But aren't you both a couple?" At that instant, I could swear I heard glass shattering from inside my head at her sudden inquiry of my relationship with my brother. That must have been my brain exploding in disbelief...how the hell...

"H-h-ho-how...how did you know about that?! Ayase, did you..." I look at Ayase in disbelief and I could see the same expression on her face as well, waving her hands back and forth in innocence at my sudden accusation.

"N-no way Kirino! I never spoke to anyone about you and Onii-san. I'm just as shocked as you are! Kanako, explain yourself!"

"Hurumph! You both should be explaining yourselves to me! How could you keep this from your great friend?" She says as she places her hands on her hips in mock anger. She has a point, I didn't tell her, but after what happened between Ayase and I awhile back...I was terrified to lose yet another friend.

"I-I'm sorry, Kana-kana...but this isn't exactly something I could just up and tell you...well I was gonna tell you...but...circumstances prevented me from doing such."

"Hmm...let me guess: you told Ayase and she freaked out didn't she?" Ok, how in the world did she figure that out? I couldn't help but thrust my hands over my mouth from shock. I look towards Ayase and she returns the gesture, though she also looks slightly peeved.

"H-how the in the world? Are you spying on us or something? Do you have cameras in our houses?"

"Hahaha, calm down! I'll explain everything, just don't interrupt me ok?"

Both Ayase and I nod in agreement and let Kanako speak her revelation to us.

"Well to be honest, Kirino, you were never really good at hiding your bro-con proneness towards your brother. I caught on to it a while ago, I wanna say around the time I've first met your brother. Sure, at first it seemed like you both didn't get along, but I took note at how much you've changed during the period your brother started involving himself in your life. You seem more content, relaxed, not as ambitious and driven to perfection like you've used to be. I also noticed you seem more happy. I mean yea, back then you MAY have looked happy, but in your eyes, I could tell something was missing in your life, why else would you try so hard? You had the fame, you had the money, what else could you want?" What did I want? I wanted to imitate what Kyousuke used to be so that one day if he ever returned to his old self again I could brag to him about how amazing I've become. I did track, modelling, got one of the top grades in the prefecture, but it wasn't enough. Kyousuke still didn't step out of his self-created "shadow" and never acknowledged what I've become. All my hard work, he just...ignored it. He ignored...me, and that's when I started to hate him. That was at least around the beginning of year 2 of our cold war, when I was 13 and I've entered middle school.

"It was like you were trying to get someone to notice you or something. I guess that's why I always teased you about whether you have a boyfriend on the side or not, and eventually that turned out to be false, so then after some thinking, I figured out what it was all for. It wasn't for fame, or money. It was for your brother." Ah! No no, she's got that all wrong. Yes I've imitated the jerk, but I didn't do it for him...did I? I started to run track because he used to do it when we were young, and I wanted to catch up to him. The modelling? Kyousuke also used to model, sometimes for his school or for fairs. He also had the best grades at the time, he would tutor even the neighbor-girl! Was it all just to get him to finally notice me? *sigh* I guess I can't deny it...fine, yes I admit it...everything I've done up until the moment Kyousuke came back into my life...was for him, to be noticed, but I'd sooner die than admit that out loud!

"Y-you're giving that idiot way too much credit, I...I didn't do it ALL for him...I did my novel for myself, you know?"

"Hmm? But Kirino...didn't you say he helped you with it?" Ayase whispers out. Dammit, you just had to let her know. Now I can't possibly mount any kind of defense.

"M-maybe a little. It's not like I NEEDED him." No...I didn't need him to help me...I wanted him to.

"A-anyways, that's not important...how do you figure I'm dating my brother just from that?"

"Ehehehe~ Well don't get mad ok? It all started with a confession I've made to your brother during one of my concerts. I confessed to him right on stage, in front of thousands of fans, but he rejected me, said he already had a girlfriend that he loved. Now, I didn't exactly figure out it was you right off the bat, but when I noticed you and Ayase weren't talking to each other anymore and pretty much avoided each other, I put 2 and 2 together: Kirino is dating her brother, and Ayase, being the punisher of all things considered immoral must have found out." Blah, so even SHE confessed to Kyousuke...the thought of it pisses me off. What is it about that guy that making all my friends fall for him? There's no way I'm letting him become her manager now!

"Geez, I never knew you could be so sharp and observant, Kanako..."

"It's one of my hidden gifts. Tee-hee~ Never underestimate the loli!" I couldn't help but chuckle at that, looks like we've really underestimated Kanako. There's definitely more to her than meets the eye. I turn towards Ayase to see has a melancholy look on her face...I wonder what's wrong?

"I...I know I was wrong. I had already apologized to Kirino a few days ago. I just...didn't know how to handle it. I was shocked at first and I admit I was even jealous, but now...I just can't imagine those two being with anyone else. They're perfect for each other." Poor girl, I put my hand on her shoulder to show that I really do forgive her for what happened between us. She apologized to me, and that's all that counts. Kanako does the same and continues talking.

"It's ok, Ayase, I was just teasing you a little, your reaction was perfectly understandable. After all, their relationship isn't exactly...normal, but I'm proud of you for accepting them and looking beyond the borders of society, because trust me, society isn't perfect, no matter how it makes itself out to be."

"Yes...I'm starting to see that now. I judge too fast without knowing what I'm dealing with. I've made a lot of bad calls, mostly towards the otaku community, but after meeting Kirino's otaku friends...I can see I was very wrong about them. They're really great people." I smile at her and rub her back. I'm glad she's become so accepting as of late, especially towards Kuroneko and Saori as they mean a lot to me. Still, even though I should know the answer by now, I just have to get a confirmation on how Kanako feels about Kyousuke and I...

"Kanako...I...uhm...I guess since you know this much...then you must think we're pretty gross too, huh?" I ask incredibly meekly, even for myself. Kanako just lifts her left hand to her chin and hums loudly as if she's thinking about it. I swear this girl loves to tease.

"Of course I do! I think you and Onii-san are super perverts!" Wh-what?! That's not the answer I was expecting! How could she-

"Hah! I'm kidding, I love you dearly, Kirino, you're one of my most cherished friends, do you think I would be here talking to you now if I saw it as something disgusting? Nope, I would never hang out with you again." Dammit, I should have seen that coming...

"Very funny...but still, why? How come it doesn't bother you at all? I'm sorry but...I just have to know!" It was then that I saw Kanako put on a very serious face for the first time I've known her. The atmosphere in the room instantly changes, and my attention is paid in full. She hesitates for a moment...but then replies.

"Because I think siblings are the greatest things in the world. Granted I don't think I would date mines if I had a brother, but I understand why you would, Kirino. I don't know what I would have done if Kanata wasn't around when I ran away from my parents. She knows how they are, which is why she moved out at an early age, we just never felt the warmth of family from our parents, only from the two of us. If it wasn't for Kanata...I think...I would have ran with a bad crowd or something, you guys definitely would have never met me, but Onee-chan took me in without a second thought, and told me I can stay for as long as I want provided I continue to go to school and do well. I love my big sister very much. I think siblings have the potential to be the greatest friend you can have if you let them, and looking at Kirino's situation, they have the potential to become even more than that." Her words...those beautiful words felt so warm and comforting. Yes, that's exactly how I feel. Kyousuke was the only one I could turn to with my secret and he's done more than enough for me than I ever thought he would do. He's more than just my brother, he's more than just my friend...he's the most important person in the world to me, and I value him more than even my parents.

"Thank you...Kana-chan...thank you so much, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. From now on, I'll be more open to you both with anything I need."

"Same here" Ayase adds.

"I could learn a lot from you Kanako, who knew you could be so mature at times?"

"Hehehe, It comes with experience, I've been through a lot even though I don't look it."

"Hehe, maybe I should be the one struck in the face sometimes."

"Well, if you insiiiiist~"

*WHACK*

And with no warning, Kanako chops Ayase in the same fashion she does, across the mouth. The look on Ayase's face is priceless and I try desperately to hold back my tears laughing while observing the look of death growing in her eyes, replacing the usual sheen in them. After a moment of blood boiling stares directed at my loli friend, Ayase pounces forward, just missing Kanako thanks to her sharp reflex.

"Why you! KANAKOOOO!"

"YAAAH! Save me, Kirino-chan!~

I don't...of course, I sit in my chair content on watching my friends run and dash around my room with a big smile on my face. I can't believe I have such amazing friends. Kanako knew the truth for a while and kept it a secret even without me asking. She could have told anyone and I would have never had guessed who it was, but she didn't, she silently supported us, and I couldn't be more relieved. That makes...pretty much everyone who knows about Kyousuke and I and I can't help but feel their courage swelling within me like some sort of power source. It really makes me want to rethink our promise, and actually jump into Kyousuke's arm and kiss him over and over, but...I don't think it's enough, there's still a lot at stake here, even if my friends support us, our parents wouldn't, but...do I really care about that? They don't have to know...and the temptation from that thought eats at the roots of my determination to stay just normal siblings. I'm close to buckling...I can feel it, and I'm not ashamed of it one bit. I just need more...encouragement. I need someone to take my hand and tell me it's going to be ok and nothing bad will ever happen if I choose this path. I need...

...Kyousuke.


End file.
